VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Sept 10: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has sent its opinion to Governor Ramesh Bais pertaining to the disqualification of JMM MLA Basant Soren. Sources stated that ECI sent its opinion to the Raj Bhavan on Friday. Basant Soren is the MLA from Dumka and younger brother of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
The membership of both Hemant Soren and Basant Soren as MLA is under threat and the fresh ECI missive is going to make the UPA camp further worried. The matter of the disqualification of Hemant Soren is already with the Governor and Hemant Soren and the UPA have criticized him for keeping the ECI recommendation as a secret.
Hemant Soren is alleged of procuring stone mining leases in his name in his capacity as the chief minister and minister of the mining department. The said stone mine that Hemant Soren later on surrendered, is situated at Angara. The ECI completed hearing in this matter and sent its recommendation to the Governor on August 25. The ECI is learnt to have disqualified Hemant Soren. However, suspense continues as the office of the Governor has not announced anything about this.
Basant Soren is also accused of having suppressed information about his association with a mining company Grands Mining Works LLP where he is one of the directors. The BJP is complainant in both the cases and demanded action against them under suitable provisions of the Representation of the People Act.
The ECI served notice to both Hemant Soren and Basant Soren under Section 9A of Representation of the People Act. The section 9A deals with disqualification of a lawmaker for a government contract.
“A person shall be disqualified if, and for so long as, there is a contract entered into by him in the course of his trade or business with the appropriate government for the supply of goods to, or for the execution of any works undertaken by, that government,” section 9 A reads.
