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This is an archive article published on May 8, 2022
ED raids: JMM, BJP trade barbs
Raids were conducted on Friday at 18 locations in four states, including premises linked to state Mining Secretary Singhal, as part of ED's probe in a case of money laundering involving alleged diversion of MGNREGA funds between 2006 and 2010 in Khunti district.
This came hours after Jharkhand BJP conducted a press conference and said CM Hemant Soren appears to be “in tune” with corrupt officials. (Representational image)
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), one of the ruling alliances in Jharkhand, on Saturday released a document showing a purported “clean chit” given to Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal during former CM Raghubar Das’s tenure on same allegations on which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids in various places linked to her.
Raids were conducted on Friday at 18 locations in four states, including premises linked to state Mining Secretary Singhal, as part of ED’s probe in a case of money laundering involving alleged diversion of MGNREGA funds between 2006 and 2010 in Khunti district.
The JMM document stated that a departmental inquiry on alleged NREGA scam involving suspended JE Binod Prasad Sinha was initiated by the Department of Personnel, Administrative and Rajbhasha in 2016 against Singhal when she was Khunti Deputy Commissioner. The inquiry was conducted by a senior IAS officer who, in a report dated February 27, 2017, said that the allegations were not proved and Singhal was “free of all charges” and departmental inquiry initiated against her was “closed”.
This came hours after Jharkhand BJP conducted a press conference and said CM Hemant Soren appears to be “in tune” with corrupt officials.
State BJP chief Deepak Prakash said: “There is a conflict within the JMM and the CM’s statement. The party is saying ED’s raid was needed, while the CM called it empty threat. It is clear since the issue is related to the Mines Secretary and he Soren) is the Mines Minister.”
Prakash said the ED raid against Singhal is an example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “zero tolerance towards corruption”. He also said that documents of properties worth more than Rs 150 crore have been seized, and that the ED should increase its ambit, as many district mining officers are involved in “looting minerals”.
Addressing the media later in the day, JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said that Singhal was given a clean chit during the BJP’s tenure. “The then government, Chief Secretary or CM said that there is no involvement of Poooja Singhal as per the departmental inquiry report. Now BJP is connecting her to Hemant Soren-ji…. If the officer is given a clean chit then she will continue, and she will be given some department.”
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