Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday, November 3, termed the Enforcement Directorate's summons to him as a "weapon" used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to target him and said if he has committed a serious offence then he should be directly arrested. Soren on Thursday skipped summons issued by the ED to face questioning in connection with a case of alleged illegal mining and arrived in Chhattisgarh to attend a "pre-scheduled" programme. The central agency had asked the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader to appear for questioning at its regional office in Ranchi.
Speaking to reporters at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, the Jharkhand Chief Minister accused the BJP, which is in the Opposition in the eastern state, of hatching a conspiracy against him as his government is taking pro-people measures. Soren was in Raipur to attend the concluding ceremony of the three-day National Tribal Dance Festival and Chhattisgarh's statehood celebration event called 'Rajyotsava 2022'.
Queried about his no-show before the ED, Soren said, "Do you think we are 'chor-uchakke' (thief-miscreants) or 'hatyare' (murderer)? They issued the summons yesterday (Wednesday) and asked me to appear today (Thursday). Don't we have our engagements? I got an invitation to attend the tribal dance festival (in Raipur) a month ago and my programme was already fixed." The chief minister said instead of sending summonses, the anti-money laundering agency should arrest him if it thinks he has committed any serious offence.
"If the ED thinks there is a serious offence then arrest me instead of issuing summonses. When have I avoided (arrest)? It is a well-planned conspiracy of the opposition (BJP) as people are appreciating and celebrating the work done by my government," Soren said. "I understand that it is not a summons of the ED...rather it is a weapon being used by the BJP," he added.
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