Jharkhand: ex-CM Das alleges Hemant Soren got land allotted in wife’s name

In a press conference, Das said: “Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren has been given 11 acres of land in an industrial area in Ranchi. This is at a time when Soren is currently the Industries Minister and he has used his position to get his wife the land. He is supposed to give answers.”

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said: “We will respond on Tuesday.”

Das said that CM’s political representative Pankaj Mishra and press advisor Abhishek Prasad used their position to get mining leases, when Soren holds the Mining Department portfolio.

“Abhishek Prasad got the lease in the name of one Shiv Shakti enterprise in Sahebganj district of 11.70 acre land on April 8, 2021. According to the govt papers, Rs 90 lakh investment has also been made in this mining area. Pankaj Mishra had been given lease in the name of Mahakal stone in Sahebhanj area. The government has done it in a haphazard manner,” Das alleged.

Calls made to Abhishek Prasad did not elicit any response. Pankaj Mishra could not be contacted.

Das also said that the state government has removed the religion column from the caste certificates–for Schedule Caste and Scheduled Tribe castes– which is proving harmful for the tribals who follow ‘Sarna religion’. Sarna is not an official code in Jharkhand and Soren had written to Home Minister Amit Shah to include Sarna as a religion code in census.

“The BJP government had added a religion column in caste certificates so that Sarna tribals may benefit from it in jobs… Under pressure from Missionaries they seem to have been removed…,” he said referring to the previous state government.

Earlier this year, Das had released documents which stated that the CM had obtained a mining lease in Ranchi area and a Letter of Intent had been issued in June last year. It also stated that in September, the CM had obtained environmental clearance for the same.

In February, a petition was filed in the Jharkhand High Court in the matter. On April 8, during the hearing, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan said the state had committed ‘a mistake’ and the lease has since been ‘surrendered’.