Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday asserted that his party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), would come to power in the State with bigger majority and higher number of legislators in the Assembly.
Mr. Soren is facing corruption charges in the alleged illegal mining scam. He said this statement after the JMM-led coalition called for special Assembly session and passed two key bills – the Jharkhand Reservation (Amendment) Bill on filling vacant posts and services, 2022 and the Jharkhand Definition of Local Persons and for Extending the Consequential, Social, Cultural and Other Benefits to such Local Persons Bill, 2022.
The Jharkhand Reservation (Amendment) Bill proposes to raise the reservation for STs, SCs, EBCs, OBCs and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in government jobs from the present 60% from 77% in the State. The Jharkhand Definition of Local Persons Bill proposes to use 1932 land records to determine people’s domicile status. Mr. Soren termed the legislations as “suraksha kavach (safety shield)” for the people of the state “who foiled conspiracies by the Opposition”.
Mr. Soren, while speaking to media persons, said that they (the BJP) “think they would end our political career by putting me in jail by levelling fake accusations but “neither our image will be tarnished nor, our political power will decrease”.
The investigating agency in mining cases has summoned Mr. Soren for questioning for the second time on November 17. Earlier on November 3, the Chief Minister had skipped the appearance before the Enforcement Directorate and dared the agency to “arrest him, if he had committed any wrong”. The JMM leader had also alleged that the summons against him was a part of a “conspiracy to destabilise his government in the State”.
“Currently, we have the support of 52 MLAs, but next time we will come (to power) with (support of) 75 (legislators),” added the Chief Minister. The Jharkhand assembly has total 81 members.
However, the Opposition BJP attacked the CM for skipping the appearance before the ED for investigation in the alleged mining scam case. “The Chief Minister, it seems, does not want to face the investigative agency, and now if he does not appear before ED, it clearly means he is abusing the constitutional post. Let us see what excuse the CM comes up with this time to avoid his appearance before the investigating agency,” said State BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo.
