Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Accuses ED of Political Motive, Agrees to New Round of Questioning

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of acting with a "political agenda" and disrupting state government operations. In an email sent Sunday, Soren objected to the agency's insistence on recording his statement again before January 31, calling it "malicious" and exceeding their legal authority.

In an email to the federal agency, the 48-year-old JMM executive president alleged that the summons issued to him were vexatious and a misuse of statutory powers. Preserve video recording of seven-hour questioning (of January 20) to make available to the Court of Law, Soren said in the email sent on Sunday, while agreeing to record his statement on January 31 at 1 pm at his residence.

The ED had previously questioned Soren at his official residence in Ranchi regarding an alleged land fraud case. Subsequently, they issued another summons, offering dates for further questioning on either January 29 or January 31.

Despite the summons, Chief Minister Soren departed for the national capital on the night of January 27. Additionally, government events slated for Monday in the state were abruptly cancelled without explanation. Meanwhile, an Enforcement Directorate team visited Soren's Delhi residence on Monday as part of a money laundering investigation.