'Missing' Jharkhand CM surfaces at Ranchi residence; to meet ED on Jan 31
Amid a lot of suspense over his whereabouts after ED landed at his Delhi residence, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren surfaced in Ranchi to hold a meeting with ruling alliance MLAs
Amid hours of suspense over his whereabouts, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren surfaced at his official residence in Ranchi on January 30, where he chaired a meeting of ruling alliance MLAs.
All the legislators of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led ruling alliance in Jharkhand had been asked to attend a meeting scheduled this afternoon to discuss strategies to handle the current political situation in the state.
The meeting has been called to also discuss Enforcement Directorate's proposed questioning of the CM on Wednesday, a legislator said.
JMM general secretary and spokesperson Vinod Kumar Singh told PTI that all the MLAs of the ruling alliance have been asked to stay in Ranchi in view of the current political situation. The JMM, Congress and RJD are members of the ruling alliance.
"They will meet on Tuesday to discuss future course of action," Singh said.
In an email sent to the ED, Soren has agreed to record his statement on January 31 at 1 pm at his residence.
ED action 'unconstitutional': JMM
The JMM leader, who had left for Delhi from Ranchi on January 27 night, sent an email to the agency in which he has agreed to a fresh round of questioning by the ED investigators on January 31 at his Ranchi residence around 1 pm. Meanwhile, the JMM said the ED’s action against Soren is “unconstitutional”.
JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said the ED action is uncalled for and unconstitutional. "It seems that the move is politically motivated," he added.
“Soren has nothing to do with the case,” he claimed. While the chief minister's office was tightlipped on the development, Jharkhand governor C P Radhakrishnan said he was keeping a watch on the situation in the state in the wake of the ED summons to Soren.
ED search Soren's Delhi house
The federal agency, meanwhile, had searched the 5/1 Shanti Niketan residence of the JMM leader in south Delhi on January 29, 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, officials said.
The ED has seized ₹36 lakh, an SUV and some "incriminating" documents from Soren's Delhi house, said PTI. However, Soren, who had left Ranchi on January 27 night for Delhi was untraceable leading to speculation about his whereabouts. Scheduled government events in the state were also cancelled without any explanation adding more fuel to the fire.
Official sources claimed he was "missing" and could not be contacted by the agency. While Soren's family member alleged that a "false" narrative was being set to "delegitimise" the JMM leader's position.
The federal agency, who had questioned Soren at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20 in the case had recorded the statement of the 48-year-old chief minister for the first time in the case.
They recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the about seven hours they spent at his home and put about 17-18 questions to the CM.
It is understood that as the questioning did not finish on that day, and a fresh summons was issued asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31.
Constitutional crisis-like situation: says BJP
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand BJP unit tried to capitalise on the situation at that time claiming that Soren is "absconding" fearing ED action.
Claiming that Jharkhand was facing a constitutional crisis-like situation due to "sudden disappearance" of Soren, state BJP president Babulal Marandi on Tuesday even went to the extent of announcing a reward of ₹11,000 from his side for providing information about the CM. He posted a 'missing' poster of the CM on X.
Speaking to reporters, Marandi said, "Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has been missing for the last two days. It is a serious issue that the director general of police and the intelligence department of the state are not aware of the location of the CM."
The former chief minister alleged that Soren is personally accused of acquiring illegal property. "But, his reply is being sent to the ED on behalf of the chief minister secretariat," he pointed out.
The BJP also urged governor C P Radhakrishnan to take cognisance of the matter. The credibility and reputation of Jharkhand are at stake, said Marandi.
“According to media sources, late at night Hemant ji, wearing slippers and covering his face with a sheet, ran away from his Delhi residence on foot. Ajay Singh, the security personnel of special branch who went with him to Delhi, is also missing,” Marandi further said in a post on X.
“The mobile phones of both of them have also been switched off. Since then, the ED and Delhi Police are searching for them. There cannot be any other example of such gross negligence regarding the security of the chief minister,” the former CM said.
If there is truth in this news, then it is a situation of “constitutional crisis” for Jharkhand, Marandi said. “The governor is requested to take cognisance of the matter...,” he added.
Well-designed conspiracy: Congress
Meanwhile, the Congress, who is part of the JMM-led alliance in Jharkhand, dubbed the entire situation as a well-designed conspiracy. Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur alleged that confusion was being created surrounding Sorens’s location under a “well-designed conspiracy” and attempts are being made to create a perception that President’s rule will be imposed in the state. "People are spreading rumours that the CM is missing,” Thakur said.
“Is the ED really not able to trace the CM? This is nothing but a conspiracy to disturb the state government so that it could be prevented from carrying out welfare work,” he asserted.
Prohibitory orders clamped in key areas in Ranchi
Prohibitory orders were imposed on Tuesday in key areas of Ranchi in the wake of the political situation arising out of ED's search at Soren's Delhi residence, said officials.
"We have promulgated prohibitory orders (under Section 144 of the CrPC) from 10 am to 10 pm within a radius of 100 metres at CM House, the Raj Bhavan and ED office at Doranda," sub-divisional magistrate (Ranchi) Utkarsh Kumar told PTI.
As part of the restrictions, demonstrations, rallies or meetings cannot be held in and around these areas.
"We have ensured that the law and order situation here is controlled. We have beefed up security in the state capital at these key installations in order to avoid assembly of people," additional chief secretary, home, Avinash Kumar told PTI.
Jharkhand governor reacts
While the chief minister's office was tightlipped on the development, Jharkhand Governor Radhakrishnan said he was keeping a watch on the situation in the state in the wake of the ED summons to the CM.
"I am keeping a watch on the overall situation as the custodian of the Constitution. It is the job of the Governor, I am doing it. We will cross the bridge when it comes," he told reporters when queried about the options before the Raj Bhavan in the wake of the political situation in the state.
In the state capital Ranchi, security was tightened at the CM House, Raj Bhavan and central government offices on Monday as visuals from the south Delhi house of Soren flashed through the day.
A massive rally was taken out by the JMM workers in Ranchi accusing the ED of targeting Soren, who is the executive president of the ruling JMM. Protests were also held in Jamshedpur and other parts of the state.
President's rule?
Meanwhile, asked about the possibility of imposition of the President's Rule in the state, the governor told the media that it was just "guesswork" at present, adding that political parties should not get involved in it.
On Soren skipping ED summons in connection with a money laundering probe, he said, "I will tell you one thing - nobody is above the law... If the CM is not responding today, he has to respond tomorrow. "
The ED investigation
The investigation by the ED 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.
In an email to the federal agency on Sunday, the 48-year-old JMM executive president alleged that the ED 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 while agreeing to record his statement on January 31 at the Ranchi residence.
(With agency reports)
