The Opposition BJP in Jharkhand has raked up an old case against chief minister Hemant Soren, wherein an aspiring model accused him of rape in 2013 and later withdrew her charges, with senior leader Babulal Marandi calling for a CBI investigation and asking Hemant Soren to step down till the probe was completed.
The case Marandi was referring to is now at the centre of a Rs 100 crore defamation suit filed by the chief minister against BJP’s Nishikant Dubey who first spoke about it in a tweet in July this year.
Dubey, an MP, announced on twitter that he had written to the Union home ministry and the Maharashtra government demanding reopening of the case against Hemant, alleging that the JMM leader had used his influence to settle the case. In response, Hemant filed a defamation suit against the MP in a Ranchi court on August 4.
Addressing a press conference in Dumka on Saturday, Marandi said, “Since the last week, social media and other platforms have been abuzz with reports of Jharkhand chief minister committing rape with a Mumbai based women in 2013. He was chief minister during the time when this incident allegedly took place. Now when the victim is again pleading for justice, he is in CM’s office. Since it involves two states, we demand a CBI inquiry.”
On Thursday, the National Commission for Women (NCW) issued a statement, saying it was seeking an action taken report (ACT) from Maharashtra DGP in view of a letter, purportedly written by the victim containing details of incidents that allegedly occurred in the last seven years, that had gone viral on social media.
The JMM and Congress, both part of the ruling alliance in the state, have termed the BJP’s accusations fraudulent and politically motivated with the intention of defaming an elected leader and destablising a popular, elected government.
Marandi, who chose Dumka in the JMM bastion of Santhal Paragana to address Saturday’s press conference, also said, “In the interest of fairness of the CBI probe, we appeal to Hemant Soren to step down,” he said.
Congress said the BJP and Marandi were “stooping to such low-level politics” out of frustration as the party had lost its relevance in Jharkhand. “Neither we, nor our allies, subscribe to personal attacks of such bad taste. But having said that, political decency can never be expected from the BJP,” said Congress spokesperson Alok Dubey.
JMM is yet to issue a formal statement in response to Marandi’s address to the media. But earlier, the JMM had termed the allegations as “fraudulent” and “below the belt” politics of the BJP.