Centre misusing probe agencies: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Hemant Soren’s arrest

He has been facing questioning from the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

Murshidabad: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Thursday accused the Centre of allegedly “misusing” central probe agencies. He was responding to the arrest of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate amid high drama on Wednesday night.

He has been facing questioning from the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Speaking to ANI on Thursday during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, the Congress leader said, “This is PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah’s politics of harassment and revenge. We have time and again reiterated that ED and CBI are the brothers of PM Modi, and he is extensively misusing these two agencies…”

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“They are doing this to trouble their opponents. This is a strategy and is against democratic politics and the Constitution. We will fight against this. We are not afraid… When they lose in 2024, we will use ED and CBI against them,” Jairam added.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren has approached the Supreme Court against the ED’s action.

Hemant Soren, who has filed the petition through advocate Pragya Baghel, has sought urgent hearing of his petition. After Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Soren, mentioned the plea before the Supreme Court on Thursday morning, the top court agreed to list it on Friday, February 2.

“The Enforcement Directorate is brazenly acting under the dictates of the Central Government and hounding the petitioner to destabilise a democratically elected government headed by the petitioner, who is the Chief Minister of the State of Jharkhand,” Hemant Soren said in the petition. Meanwhile, opposition leaders have come out in support of Hemant Soren, who is also a partner in the opposition alliance INDIA bloc.

“Outrageous and shameful! The arrest of Jharkhand Chief Minister Thiru @HemantSorenJMM is a blatant display of political vendetta by the Union BJP government. Using investigative agencies to harass a tribal leader is a new low. This act reeks of desperation and abuse of power. BJP’s dirty tactics won’t silence opposition voices,” the Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin posted on X.

Samajwadi Party Chief and ex-Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, posted on X, “In fact, BJP is considering itself badly defeated in front of the big issues of inflation, unemployment and corruption, that is why it wants to save its power by toppling the governments, at some places by arresting the elected Chief Minister and at some places by forging the ballot papers”.

The arrest comes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due in April and May this year.