After daring ED to arrest him, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren seeks fresh appearance date

Even as he dared ED to arrest him, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday sought nearly three weeks' time to appear before the central agency. Speaking to the media, JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya contended that Soren cannot honour the ED summons at least till November 23 due to prescheduled programmes. Moreover, he revealed that JMM is seeking legal opinion on this. As per reports, the central agency might issue the Jharkhand CM a fresh date for his appearance soon. 

JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya remarked, "CM always has a pre-planned schedule. We informed ED about the entire schedule - the anniversary of our State Assembly on November 22-23 and State Foundation Day on November 15. Government events will continue. We've told them the schedule till November 23." 

Hemant Soren hits out at BJP

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren was asked to appear before the ED at 11 am on November 3 in connection with the illegal mining scam. The ED has already arrested Soren's political representative Pankaj Mishra in this case. It has also carried out multiple searches across the country in this case during the last few months. In the 162-page charge sheet filed by the ED, Mishra and his associates- Prem Prakash and Bacchu Yadav were named as the main accused in the scam worth Rs.1000 crore. It also recorded the statement of a former JMM treasurer who claimed that Soren was "very close" to Prakash. 

Addressing a crowd outside his residence in Ranchi, the Jharkhand CM accused BJP of trying to destabilise the state government. He questioned, "I've been summoned by ED today when I already have a program in Chhattisgarh today. If I've committed a crime that big, come and arrest me. Why the questioning? Security near the ED office has increased. Why are you scared of Jharkhandis"? 

"Several times, our rivals tried to conspire against us and were defeated every time. In 20 years, there has been a full majority and a strong government here. The way this government handled Coronavirus (pandemic), and droughts and is helping the poor and labourers in every corner of the state, this has caused incredible turbulence among the opposition," Soren claimed. On this occasion, he also predicted that BJP will be wiped off in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.