Probe Agency again summoned Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning in a case involving alleged money laundering for the second time.

Mr. Soren had ignored the initial summons and dared the central agency to arrest him. He later requested more time.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Jharkhand Chief Minister to appear in court on November 17.

On November 3, the ED summoned Mr Soren to its Ranchi office. He did not appear, instead addressing workers from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, or JMM, a coalition state government with the Congress, outside his home.

Mr. Soren described the ED summons as ‘part of a plot to harass a tribal Chief Minister.’He accused the BJP-led central government of letting fugitive businessmen walk while it was preoccupied with political vendetta.

The vendetta accusation is part of a larger conflict.On the BJP’s complaint, Mr Soren faces disqualification as an MLA for granting himself a mining lease while holding office in 2021. The Election Commission has reportedly recommended that action be taken against Governor Ramesh Bais. But the Governor has left that hanging, despite Mr. Soren’s request that the ‘envelope’ be opened immediately.