RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Nov 3: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren today dared the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to arrest him if he had done anything wrong instead of issuing summons for questioning.
Skipping the ED questioning, he threw an open challenge standing at the gate of his official residence on Kanke Road while addressing his party workers, who had turned up to express his solidarity with him after the ED issued summons in order to probe the laundering of money earned through illegal mining.
“Arrest Kar Dikhao. Summon Kyo Bhejte Ho. Puchatach Kyo Karte Ho Sidha Arrest Kar Dikhao (Instead of sending a summon, just arrest me if you can),” he said.
Soren, who did not turn up before the ED despite a notice today, told the party workers that he was not afraid of the situation which arose before him and said that he will come out strong after passing through this phase.
CM Soren said that after 20 years when the mandate came in favour of tribals and locals and the work of development started, the outsiders started using the ED, CBI and other agencies to terrorise the democratically elected government.
He said those who are behind destabilising the Jharkhand government are of feudal mentality who cannot see tribals and downtrodden growing. He added that the recent ED notice is a live example of the mentality as it has been issued at a time when he was invited as chief guest in a tribal fest in Chhatisgarh.
He said that the notice has been sent to the situation when the government started its programme to help people go to their doorsteps and started empowering locals with different schemes and programmes.
Asking party workers to expose the conspiracy being hatched by the BJP government at the grass root level, he said those hatching a conspiracy against him are businessmen, who only know taking, unlike Jharkhandi people who believe in giving. He said that the union government has made the state handicapped by introducing a system of GST.
Soren, during his speech, spewed venom against the BJP government in the centre and threatened the union government with dire consequences in case of any attempt to destabilise the democratically elected government.
As Soren addressed the party workers, senior JMM leaders including education minister Jagarnath Mahto, drinking water and sanitation department minister Mithilesh Thakur and Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji were present.
As Soren addressed the party workers, the latter raised slogans like ‘BJP Ki Manmani Nahi Chalegi’, ‘Jai Jharkhand, Dishom Guru Shibu Soren Jindabad’, ‘Hemant Soren Jindabad’, ‘Kendra Sarkar Hosh Mein Aaayo’, ‘Modi Sarkar Hai Hai’, ‘Hemant Soren Mat Ghabrana Tumhare Piche Sara Jamana’.
Earlier, the party workers assembled at Morabadi ground and marched to the CM’s residence.
As the CM was addressing the party workers, the stretch between Gandhi Nagar to LPN Shahdeo Chowk on Kanke Road witnessed a traffic jam in which several school buses were noticed trapped. The situation was so worse that even the CM had to request the party workers to allow an ambulance to pass.
