'Conspiracy against me': ED quizzes Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren alleged that a conspiracy was hatched against him after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogated him in a money laundering case for more than seven hours on Saturday.

Addressing a large crowd of supporters outside his residence where he was interrogated, Soren said he was not scared and would face the "bullets first".

"A conspiracy was hatched against me, but the final nail in the coffin of the conspirators will be put by us... We will not be scared, your leader will face the bullets first and keep your morale high," Soren told JMM workers who had been outside his house since the morning, and refused to leave even after ED officers left.

"I extend heartfelt thanks to you for your unflinching support... Hemant Soren will stand behind every party worker," he said.

ED officers reached Soren's residence around 1 pm, and began questioning him.

The investigation pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, according to the probe agency.

It has so far arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who served as the director of the state's Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

Soren, 48, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), earlier skipped seven summonses of the agency.

Meanwhile, the JMM convened a meeting of its legislators at the chief minister's residence in the morning.

"The ED is questioning the CM... We are also holding our meeting... Any strategy about the future course of action will be made based on the outcome of the questioning," JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya told PTI.

Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari, who met Soren before being quizzed by the ED officials, said the chief minister asked party workers to be patient.

"The CM, after seeing me, turned emotional and asked us to have patience,” Ansari said.

Opposing the ED action, JMM workers and tribal outfits staged protests across the state. Asked about the demonstrations, Bhattacharya said those were spontaneous, and his party had not taken any call on that.

JMM workers armed with bows and arrows were also spotted at some distance from Soren's house.

Congress' Jharkhand president Rajesh Thakur said that party MLAs were present to express solidarity with the CM.

JMM MLA Ramdas Soren claimed that this was an attempt to destabilise the Jharkhand government.

The BJP, however, alleged that the chief minister was playing the "victim card" by sponsoring protests across the state.

“The CM should not have been given the privilege of interrogation at his official residence. Soren is scared of being arrested and that is why he did not visit the ED office for questioning,” senior BJP leader Amar Bauri told PTI.

Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi said the ED agreed to Soren's request for questioning at the chief minister's house out of respect for him.

“Now, we hope that the CM will also show generosity and issue an order to the Jharkhand Police today itself that instead of calling any accused to the police station and interrogating him, officers should go to the house of the accused and question,” Marandi wrote on X.

He also claimed that tribals in the state are not with Soren anymore, and they want his exit.

Soren had filed a petition before the Supreme Court and the Jharkhand High Court, seeking protection from the ED action, terming the summonses "unwarranted". Both the courts subsequently dismissed his petitions.

Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan had earlier this week said that the ED was doing its duty and Soren should provide the “right answers” to the probe agency.

In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the ruling coalition holds 47 seats, including 29 MLAs from the JMM, 17 from the Congress, and one each from the RJD and the Communist Party of India (Marxists-Leninist).