Jharkhand: Ruling coalition MLAs pledge support to Soren amid ED probe

Ranchi, Jan 30 (PTI) The legislators of the ruling JMM-led coalition partners in Jharkhand on Tuesday expressed solidarity with the Hemant Soren government at a meeting.

They also signed a letter of support without any name as speculations are rife that the chief minister's wife Kalpana Soren will be handed over the reins.

Kalpana Soren, who is not a legislator, attended a meeting of the lawmakers earlier in the day.

Two rounds of meetings were held on Tuesday, a day ahead of the chief minister's scheduled questioning by the ED in connection with an alleged land fraud case. "We are ready for what may come... The BJP is abusing central agencies to destabilise a democratically elected government but we will not allow them to succeed in their mission," Transport Minister and senior JMM leader Champai Soren told PTI.

The minister said the meeting was convened just to express legislators' solidarity with the CM in the prevailing circumstances.

"There is no proposal. We stand united. We also signed a support letter without any name in case it is required," said another legislator who did not want to be quoted.

Health Minister Banna Gupta said any decision in the current scenario will be taken according to the circumstances.

"We will again meet tomorrow at the CM House to express solidarity," the Congress minister said.

On the speculations that Kalpana Soren might replace her husband as the chief minister, the legislators said no such discussion was held in the meeting.

Ending suspense over his whereabouts and intense political drama, Hemant Soren reached his official residence in Ranchi and chaired the first meeting of his alliance MLAs.

On Monday, an ED team visited the JMM executive president's Delhi home with the intent to question him and agency officials claimed that he was "untraceable".

Sources close to Soren said that the 48-year-old JMM leader came by road from Delhi, undertaking a more than 1250 km journey. PTI