After Bihar, it is now Jharkhand, its neighbouring State, that is heading towards political uncertainty. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was evading questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), convened a meeting with his party leaders and ministers. His wife was also present, giving indications that Soren may hand over the baton to his family.
There is also speculation that Soren could be arrested by the ED if he appears before them for questioning on January 31. In Patna, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday appeared before the ED for questioning in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs scam, a day after his father and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad appeared before it.
Soren ended the suspense over his whereabouts after he resurfaced in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi on Tuesday, after probe agency officials failed to locate him for nearly 30 hours. The reappearance of JMM chief comes amid frenetic political developments in Ranchi and Delhi.
Travelling in his official car, Soren smiled and waved at the media persons amid intense speculation of his whereabouts.
Soren chaired a closed-door meeting with MLAs and Ministers of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led ruling alliance and asked all the party MLAs and that of its alliance partners Congress and RJD to stay in the State capital in view of the political situation until further instructions.
Soren's wife, Kalpana Soren, was also present amid a strong buzz that she could take up the reins of the Government if he is arrested.
Earlier in the day, Governor CP Radhakrishnan who has repeatedly expressed displeasure over the "deteriorating law and order" in the State, called Chief Secretary Lalbiaktluanga Khiangte, and Director General of Police Ajay Kumar Singh at the Raj Bhavan here to take stock of the situation. After the meeting, the DGP said, "Elaborate security arrangements have been made across the State to maintain law and order, including deployment of an additional 7,000 policemen."
Prohibitory orders have also been clamped in key areas of Ranchi, including areas near the CM House, Raj Bhavan and ED office, from 10 am to 10 pm, officials said.
Demonstrations, rallies or meetings cannot be held in and around these areas.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has claimed that Kalpana Soren may replace husband Hemant, and it's for this purpose only that the alliance MLAs have been instructed to remain in Ranchi. Dubey said Hemant has called all allied MLAs to reach Ranchi 'with their luggage.' In a post on X, Dubey queried how a man who is absconding will protect the people of the State.
"A big piece of advice to those who are doing wrong on the instructions of Chief Minister Hemant Soren: the CM is proving himself to be a fugitive, running away from facing the investigating agency. The man is facing insults in the country and abroad all day long. How will that man protect the officers or the people of the State?” he said.
In the 81-member Assembly, JMM has 30, Congress 16, RJD 1, while the Opposition BJP has 25, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha 3, All Jharkhand Students Union 2, and others 4.
ED officials had reached his Delhi address on Monday to question him in a money-laundering case but could not locate him. The chartered plane on which he traveled from Ranchi to Delhi is parked at Delhi airport.
The phones of several people part of his staff are switched off. His driver has also been questioned, but to no avail.
The agency seized Rs 36 lakh in cash and a Haryana registered BMW car under a name that the ED considers as 'benami,' and some 'incriminating' documents after it searched his house at 5/1 Shanti Niketan building in South Delhi on Monday and camped there for almost 13 hours to question him in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land deal case of Jharkhand, but he was not found at his Delhi homes or at Jharkhand Bhavan in Delhi.
Sources said the ED has informed state authorities and central security forces about the composition of its team that will move from its zonal office on Airport Road in Ranchi to Soren's camp office at his residence on January 31 before 1 pm, the sources said.
The questioning will continue from where it ended on January 20. About 16-17 questions were put across to Soren, and his statement was recorded, in a written and audio-video format, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The ED investigators had spent about seven hours at the CM residence that day."
Soren, having reached Ranchi on Tuesday, has informed the ED that he is ready to depose before them on Wednesday at his residence in the state capital around 1 pm. While expressing his readiness to cooperate, Soren asserted that the timing of the inquiry appears to be politically motivated, intending to disrupt the functioning of his Government.
Soren's letter to the ED's Ranchi office stated, "You are well aware that the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly will be held between February 2 and 29, 2024, and the undersigned will be preoccupied with preparations for the same apart from other prior scheduled official engagements.'
Soren reached his official residence here past midnight, the source said. In photographs and videos shared by the CMO on X, a large number of MLAs and Ministers were seen greeting Soren before taking part in the meeting. The CM's wife was also present in the meeting.
Amid the development, the BJP started claiming that the Chief Minister was 'on the run.' State BJP chief Babulal Marandi also put out an advertisement, seeking information about Soren and announcing a cash prize of Rs 11,000 for credible information.
The ED has so far arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who served as the director of the state's Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi. An employee of the Jharkhand land revenue department, Bhanu Prasad Prasad, was also arrested by the agency in the case.
The ED investigation pertains to 'huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by manipulation of official records by showing dummy sellers and purchasers in the guise of forged/bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores.
