Last week, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) coalition government led by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren completed four years in power. However, as the state enters into an election year with Assembly polls in the state slated to be held towards the end of 2024, the legal and electoral troubles for Soren are seemingly mounting.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday, 3 January, raided the premises of Chief Minister Soren’s press secretary Abhishek Prasad alias Pintu, former MLA Pappu Yadav, several officials of the jail department, and the collector and SP of Sahibganj district as part of a money laundering probe into alleged illegal mining in the state. The raids come a day after Soren wrote to the central investigating agency, calling its summons "illegal".
So far, he has skipped seven summons by the ED – the latest one being on 29 December, asking him to decide the date, time, and place for questioning before 31 December.
According to ED sources to news agency IANS, the ED is now preparing to get a warrant from the court asking for Soren's arrest.
Meanwhile, speculations are rife that if he was to be arrested, the ruling coalition may choose his wife Kalpana Soren as its new leader – and she may be sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of the state. The resignation of Sarfaraz Ahmed, the JMM MLA from Gandey, on 31 December, is being considered as part of a strategy to vacate a seat for Kalpana Soren to contest from (any non-MLA can be appointed as a leader of a coalition, but it is mandatory for them to become an MLA within six months).
As Jharkhand finds itself in a political turmoil, we explain what's happening in the state.
ED Raids Hemant Soren's Aide, BJP Ups the Ante: What's Happening in Jharkhand?
1. But First, What Is ED Probing?
The ED is investigating an alleged multi-crore scam, wherein documents dating back to over 100 years were reportedly forged and transactions were made around it. The land scam in Jharkhand came to light early last year and allegedly involved the chief minister.
According to a report by News18, the alleged land scam includes at least 35 properties allegedly in possession of Soren. The agency has arrested 14 people linked to the case, including 2011 batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan.
The ED, since 2022, has also been investigating a trail of Rs 100 crore of "proceeds of crime" linked to illegal stone-mining operations in Jharkhand and probing the alleged involvement of Soren and members of the JMM.
In July 2022, the ED raided Soren’s political aide Pankaj Mishra and his alleged associates across 19 locations in Sahibganj, Barhet, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki, and Barharwa to probe alleged illegal mining and irregularities in toll plaza tenders in Jharkhand.
In November last year, Mishra was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with alleged illegal mining in Sahibganj district of Jharkhand.
Expand2. What Has Hemant Soren Said?
Soren has been summoned by the ED six times in the last year. While he responded to all summons, he did not appear before the central agency to record his statement for any. His efforts to seek relief from the Supreme Court and the Jharkhand High Court have also been in vain.
In response to the sixth summons on 12 December, Soren had sent a letter to the ED, stating that all his assets and those of his family had been disclosed in a previous inquiry.
The chief minister also said that he was being probed by the ED only because “he doesn’t belong to any political party in power at the Centre.”
“Issuance of repeated summons is actually malice and part of a political conspiracy to destabilise a democratically elected government,” Soren had reportedly stated in the letter.
To this, the ED has said that “the issue is not about disclosure of personal assets of Hemant Soren but about investigation of the assets representing proceeds of crime (in land scam case),” The Indian Express reported.
The ED again summoned Soren on 29 December.
Terming it as the last summon, the ED had asked him to record his statement within seven days. In the letter, the ED had said that he should inform by 31 December about a place and time when his statement can be recorded.
Expand3. What Has the BJP Said?
Amid mounting pressure from the ED, JMM MLA Sarfraz Ahmed tendered his resignation to the state assembly speaker Rabindranath Mahto on 31 December. The BJP has alleged that this could be a move to get Soren's wife elected from the seat.
Taking a dig at Soren and his camp, BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Jharkhand MLA from Gandey, Sarfaraz Ahmed, has resigned from the assembly and his resignation has been accepted. Soon, Hemant Soren-ji will also resign from the post of Chief Minister and his wife, Kalpana Soren-ji, will take over as the next Chief Minister. The new year looks painful for the Soren family.”
Jharkhand politician and independent MLA from Jamshedpur East, Saryu Roy, also wrote on X, “It is pure speculation. It is likely to happen soon. If there is a change of government in Jharkhand, the Gandey Assembly seat in Giridih district will be vacant for a newcomer. Gentleman from Gandey will grace the Rajya Sabha.”
Kalpana Soren, who was recently seen on stage during a function organised to mark the JMM-led state government's fourth year in office, is a native of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, and like her husband Hemant Soren, belongs to the Santhali Adivasi community.
However, Ahmed stated that he quit due to personal reasons and wants the state government to keep functioning under the leadership of Hemant Soren, India Today reported.
Meanwhile, asserting that he would fight the allegations politically, Soren had last week told reporters that he was not ‘running like a fugitive’ and is attending office in Jharkhand.
(With inputs from IANS)
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Expand
But First, What Is ED Probing?
The ED is investigating an alleged multi-crore scam, wherein documents dating back to over 100 years were reportedly forged and transactions were made around it. The land scam in Jharkhand came to light early last year and allegedly involved the chief minister.
According to a report by News18, the alleged land scam includes at least 35 properties allegedly in possession of Soren. The agency has arrested 14 people linked to the case, including 2011 batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan.
The ED, since 2022, has also been investigating a trail of Rs 100 crore of "proceeds of crime" linked to illegal stone-mining operations in Jharkhand and probing the alleged involvement of Soren and members of the JMM.
In July 2022, the ED raided Soren’s political aide Pankaj Mishra and his alleged associates across 19 locations in Sahibganj, Barhet, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki, and Barharwa to probe alleged illegal mining and irregularities in toll plaza tenders in Jharkhand.
In November last year, Mishra was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with alleged illegal mining in Sahibganj district of Jharkhand.
What Has Hemant Soren Said?
Soren has been summoned by the ED six times in the last year. While he responded to all summons, he did not appear before the central agency to record his statement for any. His efforts to seek relief from the Supreme Court and the Jharkhand High Court have also been in vain.
In response to the sixth summons on 12 December, Soren had sent a letter to the ED, stating that all his assets and those of his family had been disclosed in a previous inquiry.
The chief minister also said that he was being probed by the ED only because “he doesn’t belong to any political party in power at the Centre.”
“Issuance of repeated summons is actually malice and part of a political conspiracy to destabilise a democratically elected government,” Soren had reportedly stated in the letter.
To this, the ED has said that “the issue is not about disclosure of personal assets of Hemant Soren but about investigation of the assets representing proceeds of crime (in land scam case),” The Indian Express reported.
The ED again summoned Soren on 29 December.
Terming it as the last summon, the ED had asked him to record his statement within seven days. In the letter, the ED had said that he should inform by 31 December about a place and time when his statement can be recorded.
What Has the BJP Said?
Amid mounting pressure from the ED, JMM MLA Sarfraz Ahmed tendered his resignation to the state assembly speaker Rabindranath Mahto on 31 December. The BJP has alleged that this could be a move to get Soren's wife elected from the seat.
Taking a dig at Soren and his camp, BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Jharkhand MLA from Gandey, Sarfaraz Ahmed, has resigned from the assembly and his resignation has been accepted. Soon, Hemant Soren-ji will also resign from the post of Chief Minister and his wife, Kalpana Soren-ji, will take over as the next Chief Minister. The new year looks painful for the Soren family.”
Jharkhand politician and independent MLA from Jamshedpur East, Saryu Roy, also wrote on X, “It is pure speculation. It is likely to happen soon. If there is a change of government in Jharkhand, the Gandey Assembly seat in Giridih district will be vacant for a newcomer. Gentleman from Gandey will grace the Rajya Sabha.”
Kalpana Soren, who was recently seen on stage during a function organised to mark the JMM-led state government's fourth year in office, is a native of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, and like her husband Hemant Soren, belongs to the Santhali Adivasi community.
However, Ahmed stated that he quit due to personal reasons and wants the state government to keep functioning under the leadership of Hemant Soren, India Today reported.
Meanwhile, asserting that he would fight the allegations politically, Soren had last week told reporters that he was not ‘running like a fugitive’ and is attending office in Jharkhand.
(With inputs from IANS)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)