Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren hits out at governor house, EC in office-of-profit case

RANCHI: Days after his party — the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) — filed an RTI query with Raj Bhavan asking for a copy of the EC letter in connection with his office-of profit-case, chief minister Hemant Soren on Saturday once again hit out at governor house as well as Election Commission (EC) for “running away” from the issue.
Earlier on October 10, governor Ramesh told reporters in Jamshedpur that the recommendation sent by EC in a sealed envelope is now a matter of his jurisdiction and that his will will prevail on its future course.
Reacting to Bais’s statement, Soren said, “I think this is a unique case even in the whole country where an accused is asking for punishment and the judge is running away. We first sent a delegation to the Raj Bhavan for a copy of the letter but to no avail. I personally went to the governor with folded hands and also approached the EC but without any results. If I have committed a crime, then I am sitting on this constitutional post illegally. Isn’t it? Then why are those responsible whose job is to maintain the sanctity of the constitutional bodies shying away from taking action?”
He added that the delay in taking the action against him or not informing him about the recommendation of EC is like a bigger punishment to him.
“Mujhe lag raha hai EC ne kya bola, yeh mujhe na bol ke saja diya ja raha hai. Yeh cheez mere liye saja se kam nahi hai (I think not revealing the EC letter is like a bigger punishment to me),” he said while speaking to print media journalists at his residence on wide-ranging topics in the afternoon.
In a veiled attack on the EC and other central agencies which are “targeting” him, members of his family and his government at large, he questioned whether he would commit himself to indulge in wrong activities over a small chunk of land.
“You tell me, will Hemant Soren commit to a wrong work only for 28 decimal land? I am surprised by these charges. And when I am asking for punishment, they are not giving it either,” he said.
Without taking names, he said his opponents and the brains behind activating the central agencies for different probes against him, his family and others related to him are only because they can’t digest a tribal working for the development of Jharkhand.
“Soon after I took over, the Covid-19 pandemic hit us. And when my government began pacing up with the development works, all kinds of central agencies have been pressed into the state in the name of probes. But we will continue with our pro-people work besides taking on the opponents legally and politically as and when required,” he quipped.