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Journalism of Courage
When Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was called in for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Sahibganj illegal mining case in November 2022, he rallied his supporters outside his residence and exhorted them to keep an eye on the outsiders in the state.
Carrying party flags — some with traditional bows and arrows in hand — hundreds of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) workers from across the state gathered when Soren questioned why he had not been arrested if he had committed a crime. “Agar Adivasi log apne par aa gaye toh inko sar chhupane ka jagah nahi milega (If Adivasis take it upon themselves then these people will not even get a place to hide),” Soren told his supporters.
Soren also alleged some “bahari (outsider) gangs” operating in Jharkhand do not want “Adivasis and moolvasis (original inhabitants)” to succeed. “I have identified them and we are giving them a befitting reply,” he asserted. Days later, the ED questioned him for 10 hours.
Cut to 2023. The BJP has appointed tribal leader and Jharkhand’s first CM Babulal Marandi as the state unit president in an attempt to counter the legitimacy of Soren who the state’s Opposition accuses of playing the victim card.
Meanwhile, the ED has continued to summon Soren in a separate money laundering case – with the sixth and latest summons coming on December 12. But the CM has skipped every summons so far. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court maintained that mere non-cooperation over ED summons was not grounds for arrest.
When the older narrative ran out of favour, the SC ruling came to the CM’s aid. This time, there was neither any exhortation of support nor any remarks on “outsiders”. Soren has toned down his approach and has approached the issue legally.
In response to the sixth summons, Soren discreetly sent a letter to the ED stating that in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) preliminary inquiry – based on the complaint with the Lokpal – all his and his family’s assets had been disclosed. And, therefore, he is being called in for questioning only because “he doesn’t belong to any political party in power at the Centre”.
“Issuance of repeated summons is actually malice and part of a political conspiracy to destabilise a democratically elected government. The undersigned shall readily provide any information or documents which you may bona fide require and which are not already available with you, provided you are entitled to seek the same in accordance with law,” Soren wrote.
Sources in the ED said Soren’s actions as a “mockery of law” and said that the earlier reference to the CBI was different from the money laundering probe, as those are “two separate proceedings”.
“Please note that the issue is not about disclosure of personal assets of Hemant Soren but about investigation of the assets representing proceeds of crime (in another case),” the ED source said. “What will Soren do, I don’t know. We are yet to consult our legal team, which will see what course of action has to be taken.”
Sources in the state government said Soren had already given complete details of properties owned by him and his family along with certified copies of title deeds, bank account details, and Permanent Account Numbers (PAN). The government officials said there was nothing to add and hence there was “nothing to investigate” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
A JMM insider said, “Soren does not want to go to the ED, rather, he would wait for them to act so he can capitalise on it politically.”
If Soren has managed to keep the political heat under control vis-a-vis the money laundering probe, Governor C P Radhakrishnan sparked a fresh controversy when he said earlier this week that the country was “moving towards a clean public life”.
Responding to a query from The Indian Express on the Election Commission’s (EC) sealed report — sent to the Raj Bhavan last year — containing its opinion on Soren owning a mining lease, and whether or not it will be made public, Radhakrishnan said, “I am repeatedly telling you, those who have done something wrong, those who are found guilty, have to face the consequences. We are aiming and moving towards a clean public life.”
Asked about the timeframe for publicising the EC’s report, he added, “There are certain difficulties. We have to go through that and we will.” The governor did not specify what “difficulties” he was referring to.
With Lok Sabha elections just months away, and the state elections slated for late 2024, the last leg of the Jharkhand CM’s tenure has been filled with bumps and it is a case of wait-and-watch to see if and when the Centre will act.
