Soren returns, chairs meeting of alliance MLAs after drama post ED search at Delhi home

PTI, Jan 30, 2024, 7:32 PM IST

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren (Credit: PTI / file)

Ranchi: Amid suspense about his whereabouts, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren arrived at his official residence in Ranchi and chaired a meeting of alliance legislators on Tuesday.

A high-voltage drama began unfolding after an ED team searched his Delhi residence on Monday, and camped there for almost 13 hours in order to question him in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land deal in Jharkhand. Later, the ED claimed to have seized Rs 36 lakh, an SUV and some ”incriminating” documents during the search.

Soren, also the executive president of the ruling JMM, had left for the national capital on January 27 night, while his scheduled government programmes in the state were cancelled without any explanation.

The 48-year leader who was groomed into a leadership role by his father and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM ) supremo Shibu Soren after his elder brother Durga Soren died in 2009, is possibly facing his toughest test so far.

”I reside in your hearts,” he asserted facing the media for the first time post his return to Ranchi.

After chairing the meeting of legislators at his home to chalk the future course of strategy, Soren went to Bapu Vatika, a local park, to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary.

Soren, who is currently riding a political storm which has been whipped up after ED issued summons to him, termed the move ”motivated by political agenda” to disrupt the state government’s functioning.

He claimed that the central agency’s insistence to record his statement in connection with the alleged land fraud case reeked of malice, before agreeing to depose before ED sleuths on Wednesday at his Ranchi residence at 1 pm.

The federal agency had questioned Soren on January 20 and had issued a fresh summons, asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31.

The JMM wondered why ED officials visited the chief minister’s official residence in Delhi on January 29.

Party spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya asked: “When the chief minister Hemant Soren called the Enforcement Directorate to record his statement on January 31, why did they reach his official residence in Delhi yesterday?” He alleged that the BJP state president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi is behind this.

”They (BJP) are treating him like a criminal but I would like to state that our CM is not afraid of anyone,” Bhattacharya said.

Marandi, on the other hand, claimed that a constitutional crisis-like situation was created in the state due to the ”sudden disappearance” of Soren and had announced a reward of Rs 11,000 from his side for providing information about the chief minister and posted a ‘missing’ poster of the JMM leader on X.

Earlier in the day, Governor CP Radhakrishnan who has repeatedly expressed displeasure over the “deteriorating law and order” in the state, called Chief Secretary Lalbiaktluanga Khiangte, and Director General of Police Ajay Kumar Singh at the Raj Bhavan here to take stock of the situation.

After the meeting, the DGP told PTI: ”Elaborate security arrangements have been made across the state to maintain law and order, including deployment of an additional 7,000 policemen.” Prohibitory orders have also been clamped in key areas of Ranchi, including areas near the CM House, Raj Bhavan and ED office, from 10 am to 10 pm, officials said.

Demonstrations, rallies or meetings cannot be held in and around these areas.

A senior JMM leader said that all legislators of the ruling alliance in Jharkhand have been asked not to leave the state capital.

Meanwhile, a verbal spat between the ruling and opposition legislators took place with BJP claiming that Soren was ”missing” for several hours after going to Delhi and the Congress and JMM retorting that the saffron camp was spreading rumours about him.

Congress legislator Deepika Pandey Singh said, ”The BJP’s ED, Delhi Police and IB together could not locate the chief minister. It is an utter failure of (union home minister) Amit Shah. He should resign immediately. We met him at his residence. It is a big slap on the face of BJP’s rumour machine.” Minister and senior JMM leader Champai Soren told reporters that the rumours spread by the saffron camp will not have any effect on the people.

Marandi wrote on X: ”People heaved a sigh of relief as chief minister Hemant Soren, who had fled on foot from his Delhi residence late on the night of January 28, returned to the CM residence in Ranchi safe and secure, almost 40 hours later.” He said in jest how much trouble Soren had faced during his rush to cover the distance of 1,295 km from Delhi to Jharkhand.

”Forget about Delhi, It seems that Hemant ji will not even dream of going anywhere across the border of Jharkhand, let alone by road or air, in the near future,” Marandi said.

State Congress president Rajesh Thakur said that this was the first time when a question was being asked about a chief minister’s whereabouts.

Citing the ED’s recovery of cash from Soren’s residence, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wondered if the chief minister has been hiding his ”billions” of rupees after going ”missing” for 50 hours.

The ED’s investigation pertains to a ”huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand, according to the central probe agency.

In an email to the federal agency on Sunday, Soren alleged that the ED’s actions were ”motivated by political agenda” to disrupt the state government’s functioning and claimed that its insistence to record his statement again on or before January 31 reeked of malice.

”Preserve video recording of seven-hour questioning (of January 20) to make available to the court of law,” Soren said in the email.

The ED has so far arrested 14 people in the case.