Soren’s letter to the ED reads thus, “You are well aware that the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly will be held between 2nd and 29th February 2024 and the undersigned will be pro-occupied with preparations for the same apart from other prior scheduled official engagements. In these circumstances, your insistence to record a further statement of the undersigned on or before 31st January 2024 reeks of malice and reveals your political agenda to disrupt the functioning of the State Government and prevent an elected representative of the people from discharging his official duties. The undersigned’s apprehensions that your acts are malefice and politically motivated stand vindicated. The issuance of summon to the undersigned is wholly vexatious and in the colourable exercise of powers given by the statute.”ED seizes Rs 36 lakh, SUV from Soren’s Delhi houseMeanwhile, ED officials who visited Soren’s Delhi residence on Monday in connection with the ongoing probe into a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam said that the Chief Minister could not be located. The federal agency searched the 5/1 Shanti Niketan residence of the JMM leader in south Delhi and camped there for almost 13 hours. Sources told PTI the ED has seized Rs 36 lakh in cash, a Haryana number plate bearing BMW registered under a “benami” name, and some “incriminating” documents.Additionally, the BJP had alleged on Monday that Soren has “gone missing.””Today, the honour and respect of the people of Jharkhand were destroyed by our Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji, just by going missing,” BJP parliamentarian from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, wrote on X.The ED has reportedly issued fresh summons to Soren asked him to be available for questioning on January 29 or 31, threatening to go to him directly if he did not turn up. This is the tenth summons issued to the Jharkhand Chief Minister by the ED.Meanwhile, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya on Monday had said that CM Soren was ready to appear before the central agency on January 31.”The CM has gone to Delhi for personal work, and he will return as well. He has been called on January 31. We are ready for January 31. You asked us to tell you the place and time, and we told you the place would be CM’s residence on Kanke Road and the time would be 1 pm. Who is creating all the confusion, then? The way the political situation is being presented is against democratic values,” Bhattacharya said.
Source link
