After a 30-hour drama shrouding his whereabouts, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren resurfaced in Ranchi on Tuesday, holding crucial meetings with his alliance MLAs before facing a scheduled Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogation in a money laundering case.
Soren, 48, returned from Delhi by road, covering over 1250 km after ED officials visited his residence there attempting to question him on Monday. The agency had declared him "untraceable," sparking speculation and political tension.
I reside in your hearts, he told reporters in Ranchi after paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary. He was replying to a query regarding his absence. We all are committed to following the footsteps and ideologies of the Father of the Nation. We are proud that such people were born among us and guided us, he added.
Soren held two rounds of meetings of alliance legislators at the CM House to discuss the present political situation in the state. In photographs and videos shared by Soren’s office on X, MLAs and ministers were seen greeting the chief minister before taking part in the meeting.Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren, who is not a legislator, was also present at the meeting.
During the meetings, lawmakers expressed solidarity with the Hemant Soren government and signed a letter of support, albeit anonymously, amid speculation that Kalpana Soren would assume leadership in case of her husband's arrest.
We are ready for what may come. The BJP is abusing central agencies to destabilize a democratically elected government but we will not allow them to succeed in their mission, said Transport Minister and senior JMM leader Champai Soren to PTI.
Earlier in the day, State Governor CP Radhakrishnan, who has voiced concern over the deteriorating law and order in the state, summoned Chief Secretary Lalbiaktluanga Khiangte and Director General of Police Ajay Kumar Singh to Raj Bhavan to assess the situation.