Hemant Soren reaches official residence in Ranchi; to chair meeting of ruling alliance MLAs

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren has received 10 summons from Enforcement Directorate so far, but did not attend any of those summons. BJP now continues to step up its attack on him saying he was absconding as ED team reached his Delhi house. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has claimed Soren's wife Kalpana may replace him as the former has called all allied MLAs to reach Ranchi 'with their luggage.'

New Delhi/Ranchi:Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday reached his official residence in Ranchi hours after suspense over his whereabouts. According to sources, Soren is likely to chair a meeting of the ruling alliance MLAs at his official residence here. Sources also said that Soren reached Ranchi past midnight.

All the legislators of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led ruling alliance in Jharkhand have been asked not to leave the state capital, and to attend the meeting scheduled this afternoon to discuss the current political situation in the state. The meeting has been called to discuss strategies regarding the current political situation, and the Enforcement Directorate's proposed questioning of the CM on Wednesday, a legislator said.

In an email sent to the ED, Soren has agreed to record his statement on January 31 at 1 pm at his residence. The federal agency searched the 5/1 Shanti Niketan residence of the JMM leader in south Delhi on Monday, and camped there for almost 13 hours in order to question him in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land deal in Jharkhand, officials said. The ED has seized Rs 36 lakh, an SUV and some "incriminating" documents from Soren's Delhi house, they said.

Meanwhile, Governor CP Radhakrishnan summoned the state DGP, chief secretary and home secretary to the Governor House for reports on Soren's whereabouts.

"Just as people do not have information about the Chief Minister, similarly I too do not have any information yet as to where the Chief Minister is. The Governor said that I am also waiting for the CM to arrive," Radhakrishnan said.

Notably, the state administration has imposed Section 144 in a 100-metre radius of CM's residence and other places in Jharkhand. Section 144 has been imposed at the Chief Minister's residence, Rajbhavan and ED's office. "According to the information received, there is information about protests, demonstrations, rallies etc., by various organizations/parties. The possibility of such programs causing disruption in government work, disrupting traffic, creating law and order problems and disturbing public peace cannot be ruled out," the order said.

Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate has seized Rs 36 lakh, an SUV and some "incriminating" documents after it searched the Delhi residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, official sources said Tuesday. The federal agency searched the 5/1 Shanti Niketan residence of the JMM leader in south Delhi on Monday and camped there for almost 13 hours in order to question him in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land deal case of Jharkhand.

The sources said the ED teams seized about Rs 36 lakh in cash, a HR (Haryana) number plate bearing BMW registered under a "benami" name and some "incriminating" documents during the day-long operation.

An Enforcement Directorate team reached the Delhi residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to question him in connection with a money laundering investigation and camped there for over 13 hours during which they searched the premises.

A high drama unfolded earlier after Soren has written to the ED, urging the probe agency to visit the CM House here on January 31 at 1 p.m., and question him in connection with a money laundering case related to an alleged land fraud matter.

According to a source, the ED in a letter to Soren sought to know from Soren "when and where" he would be present for questioning between January 29 - 31, further saying "if you don't come this time, we will come to you".

Official sources claimed Soren was 'missing' and could not be contacted by the federal agency but a family member alleged that a 'false' narrative was being set to "delegitimise" the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader's position.

The member, who did not wish to be identified, claimed there were repeated communications to ED and compliance to the summons including willingness to record his statement on January 31, 2024 at 1 pm at his Ranchi residence.

Officials of the federal probe agency accompanied by Delhi Police personnel reached the 5/1 Shanti Niketan building in South Delhi around 9 am, while a large number of mediapersons stood outside. Several ED officials were seen leaving the premises at around 10.30 pm.

The agency seized a Haryana-registered BMW car from Soren's residence apart from some documents recovered by them during the search conducted at the house, sources said.

Soren left Ranchi for Delhi on January 27, with his party saying on Monday that he had gone for personal work and would be back. But the Jharkhand unit of the BJP claimed that the chief minister has been absconding for the last 18 hours, fearing action of the ED, and urged Governor C P Radhakrishnan to take cognisance of the matter as the "credibility and reputation of Jharkhand are at stake".

The ED questioned Soren at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20 in the case and had issued a fresh summons to him asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31, the official sources said, adding Soren had sent a communication to the agency but had not confirmed the date and time for questioning.

In an email to the federal agency on Sunday, the 48-year-old JMM executive president alleged that the ED actions were "motivated by political agenda" to disrupt the state government's functioning and claimed that its insistence to record his statement again on or before January 31 reeked of malice.

"Preserve video recording of seven-hour questioning (of January 20) to make available to the court of law," Soren said in the email while agreeing to record his statement on January 31 at the Ranchi residence.

In Delhi, ED officials moved out briefly from the chief minister's residence at 8 pm and checked the said BMW car parked there before going back inside without replying to queries from the media.

"An ED team went to the residence of the chief minister in Delhi to question him but he was not there. Some other teams also went to the Jharkhand Bhawan and a few other locations but could not find the chief minister," a source said.

While the chief minister's office was tightlipped on the development, Jharkhand Governor Radhakrishnan said he was keeping a watch on the situation in the state in the wake of the ED summons to the CM.

"I am keeping a watch on the overall situation as the custodian of the Constitution. It is the job of the Governor, I am doing it. We will cross the bridge when it comes," he told reporters when queried about the options before the Raj Bhavan in the wake of the political situation in the state.

In the state capital Ranchi, security was tightened at the CM House, Raj Bhavan and central government offices on Monday as visuals from the south Delhi house of Soren flashed through the day.

A massive rally was taken out by the JMM workers in Ranchi accusing the ED of targeting Soren, who is the executive president of the ruling JMM. Protests were also held in Jamshedpur and other parts of the state.

"The CM went to Delhi for some personal work and he will be back. But, the ED action is uncalled for and unconstitutional. It seems that the move is politically motivated," alleged JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya.

BJP leaders, however, questioned the whereabouts of the CM. "According to media sources, late at night Hemant ji, wearing slippers and covering his face with a sheet, ran away from his Delhi residence on foot. Ajay Singh, the security personnel of special branch who went with him to Delhi, is also missing," Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi claimed in a post on X.

'MLAs reaching with luggage, Soren wife Kalpana to become CM'

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey has claimed that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren may replace her husband as the new CM as Soren 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 advice to those who are doing wrong on the instructions of Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji, 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.

"Hemant Soren ji has called his own, JMM, Congress and allied MLAs to reach Ranchi with their luggage and bags. According to the information, there is a proposal to make Kalpana Soren ji (Hemant Soren's wife) the Chief Minister. The CM has said that fearing an ED interrogation, they will reach Ranchi by road and announce their arrival," he added.

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