Jharkhand Cabinet Secretary Vandana Dadel is said to have written a letter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking information about the cases in which Sahibganj Deputy Commissioner Ram Niwas Yadav and Chief Minister’s press advisor Abhishek Prasad alias Pintu and others have been summoned.
Sources said that the Cabinet secretary has sought information stating that the FIR in which Sabhibganj DC Yadav and CM’s press advisor Pintu has been summoned is not clear.
The State Government’s letter to Central agencies (ED) assumes importance as a few days back, the Cabinet passed a decision under which State Government officials getting summons from central agencies (ED, CBI, and IT) have to inform their department before appearing for such summons.
The Jharkhand Cabinet on January 9 approved guidelines to deal with notices to State officials by external probe agencies, making it mandatory for them to inform the Cabinet Secretariat and Vigilance Department through departmental heads about the communications.
The decision came when Chief Minister Hemant Soren and a number of State Government officials were facing summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
As per new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), if any official receives any notice or summons from any external probe agency, he or she will immediately inform the department head concerned.
The nodal department will obtain legal advice accordingly. In light of the advice from the department, the official will provide necessary cooperation to the probe agency. After that, the cabinet department will take legal opinion, issue necessary guidelines, and give advice to comply with the summons. It will be decided on a case-to-case basis.
The Cabinet secretary letter to ED came at the time when Prasad alias Pintu was asked to depose at the federal agency's Ranchi office on January 16, Yadav and another person Binod Singh were instructed to do the same on January 11 and 15 respectively.
BJP took a dig at the matter of Cabinet Secretary Vandana Dadel writing a letter to ED and termed it ridiculous.
State BJP spokesperson Kunal Sharangi said that the ‘Thugbandhan’ cabinet of mixed parties led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren has found a government solution to provide shelter to the corrupt. Due to this, the action of ED and central investigating agencies can be delayed, stuck and diverted.
Meanwhile, BJP has reacted over Cabinet secretary letter to ED terming it as fear of action. The BJP spokesperson Kunal Sarangi said that it is a step taken to protect corruption in the state. Sarangi said that if the state government is avoiding agencies like ED, CBI to this extent, then the Jharkhand government led by Hemant Soren should also keep distance and abstinence from the schemes of the Central Government and funds worth crores of rupees.
Kunal Sharangi said that the PMLA Act was passed in the year 2012 during the rule of the Congress-led UPA coalition government at the Centre. There is a clear provision in this law that ED has been given special powers that it can directly investigate financial irregularities and corruption cases, it does not need to take permission from anyone. Therefore, in a federal structure, changing a constitutional rule passed in the Lok Sabha at the state level is not only a first, but also extremely ridiculous and unfortunate.