Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday appeared unfazed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons seeking his appearance at its regional office in Ranchi at 11am on Thursday in connection with a money-laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in the state.
“ED is probing a case on Opposition’s (read BJP’s) request. I too have been summoned. I am not afraid of facing them. If the ED can summon leaders of the stature of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi then what is the big deal about a chief minister being summoned? The probe began with NREGA irregularities and now it has come to Sahebganj just because a tribal chief minister is leading the state. I am not afraid of probe agencies as long as I have the blessing of the masses. Har jung ladenge, har jung jitenge (We will fight all battles and win it),” Soren said while addressing an event in Sahebganj on Wednesday afternoon where he had gone to review the second phase of the state government’s door-step public delivery campaign Aapki Yojana, Aapki Sarkar, Aapke Dwar.
Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were questioned multiple times by the ED earlier this year in connection with money-laundering allegations linked to the National Herald newspaper.
In a rare gesture, the chief minister’s secretariat on Wednesday released his official itinerary for a fortnight, appearing to convey a message that Soren was unperturbed by the ED summons.
“Usually, the CM’s official itinerary is made public a day or two in advance. But releasing the fortnight-long schedule is certainly a rare instance in government parlance. The message is that the CM will go on with his usual business despite the ED summons,” said a senior bureaucrat of the rank of principal secretary in Ranchi.
Soren’s itinerary announced till November 15 does not mention his appearance before the ED.
According to the itinerary, Soren will attend the tribal dance festival in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur on November 3 and thereafter attend the review programmes of doorstep delivery campaigns at Palamau, Ramgarh and Jamshedpur between November 4 and 7. He would also attend an international Sarna conference in Bokaro on November 8, review the government campaign in Pakur on November 9 and lay the foundation stone for an irrigation project in Dumka on the same day.
He would attend a cabinet meeting on November 10 followed by a special daylong session of the state Assembly on November 11 in which the government will place the residential policy bill, which would form the basis of reservation in government jobs and education. He would review the implementation of government welfare schemes in Seraikela-Kharsawan on November 12, review the Statehood Day function preparations on November 14 and attend the Statehood Day event on November 15.
At the Sahebganj function on Wednesday, Soren reiterated that the Opposition conspiracy of tarnishing his image through a probe by the federal agency would not be fulfilled.
“The Opposition feel that they can tarnish my image by misusing the federal agency. However, their wish will not be fulfilled. We will give a befitting reply to all their conspiracies. Even the governor is siding with the Opposition. He is keeping silent on the Election Commission’s opinion but speaking to reporters about ‘atom bombs’,” Soren said.
Following a request from the BJP, governor Ramesh Bais had sought EC’s opinion on Soren’s disqualification in an office-of-profit case. The EC had given its opinion in a sealed envelope to the governor on August 25. However, the governor has maintained silence on this issue so far. A few days back, in an interview to a news channel in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, he claimed of seeking a second opinion and said that ‘one or two atom bombs can explode in Jharkhand’.
In July this year, the ED had arrested Soren’s close aide and his MLA representative in Barhait Assembly constituency Pankaj Mishra and two others — local muscleman Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash — in the money-laundering case.
The agency said it had “identified” proceeds of crime relating to illegal mining in the state to the tune of more than Rs 1,000 crore till now.
“Some banking documents and cheques that purportedly bore the name of the chief minister were also recovered from the searched premises of Pankaj Mishra,” a Ranchi-based ED official said.
On Wednesday evening, Soren held a meeting of JMM-Congress-RJD MLAs at his Ranchi residence.
JMM spokesperson and party central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya told reporters that party activists would stage massive protests if any punitive action is taken by the ED against Soren.
