For the sixth time in a row, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged land scam case. Taking a jibe at him, BJP leader Pratul Shah Deo on December 12 said the former was behaving more like a ‘monarch’ rather than a people’s representative.
Speaking to ANI on December 12, Deo said, “Hemant Soren is conducting himself as an elected chief minister should not. He is behaving more like a monarch. This is what is expected of Vanshavadi Rajkumars (dynasts).”
Urging the central probe agency to take stringent action against the Jharkhand chief minister, the BJP leader said, “They (ED) should set an example that nobody is higher than the law of the land. He is neck-deep in corruption. There are corruption scandals worth Rs 70,000 crores in his chief ministerial tenure.”
Summoning under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED has asked CM Soren to appear before the agency on December 12. The chief minister had filed a writ petition in the Jharkhand High Court challenging the earlier summons issued against him in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Soren moved to the high court after his petition in the Supreme Court was rejected, with the apex court directing him to approach the concerned high court with his plea against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons. Soren was summoned by the ED, earlier, in mid-August in connection with a land ‘scam’ case.
However, the CM ignored the summons claiming that he was busy with the state’s Independence Day celebrations. He was asked again to appear on August 24 and September 9 but he skipped the summons citing preoccupations.
The agency then issued its fourth summons to the Jharkhand CM, asking him to report to the agency on September 23. The CM had earlier threatened to move for legal proceedings against the Centre if it did not withdraw the summonses issued against him.
ANI
