Ranchi, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren made a direct challenge to the agency on Thursday, a day after the central agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued summons. He said that if the ED has the courage, then arrest them. The ED had called him for questioning on Thursday at 11.30 am in the illegal mining case, but he did not reach his office. It is being told that on behalf of the Chief Minister’s Office, the agency has been asked for three weeks’ time citing the busyness of the Chief Minister.
Instead of going for questioning in response to the summons issued by the agency, Hemant Soren on Thursday challenged the investigating agency directly and said – if you have committed a crime, then what to interrogate? If you have the courage, arrest and show it. Hemant alleged that there is a conspiracy to topple the Jharkhand government from Delhi. Significantly, the ED had issued summons to Hemant Soren on Wednesday and called him for questioning on Thursday. Meanwhile, the gathering of workers and leaders of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha had started in Ranchi from Thursday morning. The agency was apprehensive about this when it had written a letter for deployment of additional police force.
However, Hemant Soren on Thursday challenged the ED as well as attacked the central government and the BJP. He said- There is a conspiracy to topple the Jharkhand government from Delhi. People of BJP sometimes take recourse to CBI, sometimes ED, sometimes court. Sometimes he spends the night in Raj Bhavan and sometimes in ED office. They think that if they send them to jail, we will be scared. The security of his office is being increased. He also said that a tribal-led government is being destabilized.
The Chief Minister further said- If I have committed a crime, then what to inquire? If you have the courage, come and arrest them, but they do not know that if we go down on ourselves, they will not find a place to hide. Earlier on Wednesday evening, a meeting of legislators of the ruling coalition was held at the Chief Minister’s residence, which lasted till late in the night. After the meeting, leaders of JMM, Congress and RJD said that the entire alliance is one and will foil every move of the BJP to destabilize the government.
