Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren sprung a surprise by making a sudden appearance after going missing for a day when the Enforcement Directorate was at his residence on Monday. While the CM chaired a meeting of his MLAs in Ranchi, the BJP again reiterated the claim that Soren is planning to make his wife Kalpana Soren CM of the state in case he was arrested by the ED. Meanwhile, Soren’s party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) slammed the BJP for demeaning the CM office. The party said that CM Soren was not missing and was in Delhi for some personal work.
BJP leader Nishikant Dubey again claimed that CM Soren had called a meeting of JMM, Congress and other supporting MLAs in Ranchi to make Kalpana Soren CM of the state. “According to the current information, MLA Sita Soren and MLA Basant Soren have refused to accept Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren or other MLAs as the Chief Minister. Both the MLAs are absent from the legislature party meeting being held in Ranchi,” claimed Dubey.
वर्तमान सूचना के अनुसार विधायक सीता सोरेन जी व विधायक बसंत सोरेन जी ने मुख्यमंत्री हेमंत सोरेन जी की पत्नी कल्पना सोरेन जी या अन्य विधायक को मुख्यमंत्री मानने से इंकार कर दिया है ।दोनों विधायक राँची में हो रही विधायक दल की बैठक से अनुपस्थित हैं https://t.co/2geaOQxmHA
— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) January 30, 2024
On the other hand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren chaired a meeting with ministers of his ruling coalition today amid allegations by the BJP that the JMM chief was “absconding” to avoid the Enforcement Directorate’s probe into an alleged land scam case. The chief of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was seen coming out of his residence in Ranchi today ahead of the meeting. The Chief Minister’s Office in Jharkhand released pictures of Soren’s meeting with alliance party leaders today.
मुख्यमंत्री आवास में मुख्यमंत्री श्री @HemantSorenJMM की अध्यक्षता में सत्ता पक्ष के मंत्री और विधायक गणों की बैठक शुरू। pic.twitter.com/Un8UPs3x6k
— Office of Chief Minister, Jharkhand (@JharkhandCMO) January 30, 2024
On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate officials visited Soren’s residence in Delhi for an inquiry. During the visit, the central agency confiscated two cars and Rs 36 lakh, but JMM leader Soren was not found.
Sources reveal that the ED has issued a new summons to Soren, requesting his presence for questioning on either January 29 or 31. Alternatively, the agency has indicated that it will conduct the questioning at his location if he fails to appear. Notably, this marks the tenth summons issued to the Jharkhand Chief Minister by the ED.
In response, Soren has communicated to the Enforcement Directorate, expressing his intention to provide his statement at 1 pm on Wednesday, January 31, at his residence in Ranchi. The Jharkhand Chief Minister contends that the timing of the inquiry appears to be politically motivated, aimed at disrupting the functioning of his government.