Infighting in Soren family; Sita Soren opposes any move to make Kalpana CM

Ranchi, Jan 31 (PTI) Amid hectic political activities and questioning of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the ED here on Wednesday, a rift has emerged in his family with his sister-in-law and JMM MLA Sita Soren openly opposing any move to make his wife Kalpana the state chief minister.

The objection comes against the backdrop of strong rumours and the BJP claim that Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana will be the first choice for the chief minister's post in case her husband was arrested. Kalpana Soren was also present at the meeting of alliance legislators at the CM's residence on Tuesday.

Talking to PTI over the phone, Sita Soren, widow of former chief minister Shibu Soren's elder son Durga, said: "I would like to ask why only Kalpana Soren, who is not even an MLA and has no political experience. Under what circumstances her (Kalpana's) name is being touted as the next chief minister when there are so many senior leaders in the party." MLA from the Jama assembly seat, Sita Soren, who was out of the city for some personal reasons, was not present in the Tuesday meeting.

"I will strongly protest any move to make her CM...," said Sita, who has been an MLA for nearly 14 years.

"There are several senior leaders, who could be given the reins of the party. If they want to elect from a family, I am the senior-most in the house and have been an MLA for around 14 years," she said.

A senior leader who did not wish to be quoted said several MLAs were absent during the Tuesday meeting at CM's residence here.

Earlier this month, Soren had dismissed speculations of his wife contesting from the Gandey assembly constituency and had termed it as a "complete imagination" of the BJP.

"Possibility of my wife contesting in the near future is a complete imagination of the BJP... The speculation about handing over reins to her is a fabric woven by the BJP to build a false narrative," the chief minister had told PTI.

The speculations were triggered by the Enforcement Directorate's recent summons to the chief minister coupled with the sudden resignation by the ruling JMM's Gandey MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad in December.

The opposition BJP has claimed that Ahmad was made to quit so that the chief minister's wife could contest from the Gandey in case of any eventuality in connection with the ED summonses.

Earlier, the ED had recorded the statement of the 48-year-old chief minister on January 20 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The investigation pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, according to the agency.

The ED has, so far, arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan who served as the director of the state's social welfare department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi. PTI