Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jayant Sinha on Thursday said that he does not agree with the allegations that “opposition leaders are being targeted by the central agencies” adding that if a thorough probe is conducted in the alleged corruption cases linked to Hemant Soren in Jharkhand, then outcome of the investigation will definitely point towards “loot happening in the state”.
“I am hopeful that the new Jharkhand Chief Minister will cooperate with the agencies. Hemant Soren was not cooperative. It is not true that investigative agencies target only the opposition leaders. In reality, the police in opposition-ruled states don’t probe cases of corruption. If they probe they will find there is loot happening in Jharkhand,” Jayant Sinha told ANI.
The remarks came after several opposition parties in a unified voice accused the BJP of harassing them through central agencies.
Reacting sharply to the resignation of Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that forcing Hemant Soren to resign is a blow to Federalism.
In a post on ‘X’, Mallikarjun Kharge said, “One who will not go with PM Modi will go to jail. Imposing ED against Jharkhand Chief Minister, Hemant Soren and forcing him to resign is a blow to Federalism. Intimidating opposition leaders by making the provisions of PMLA draconian is part of the BJP’s tool kit.”
He further said that the BJP’s work of destabilising the opposition governments one by one as part of a conspiracy was continuing.”Whoever went into the BJP’s washing machine was clean as white; who didn’t go was tainted. If democracy has to be saved from dictatorship, then the BJP will have to be defeated. We will not be afraid, Will continue to fight from Parliament to the streets,” he added.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav also sharply reacted to the ED’s move.
“Bihar, Chandigarh and now Jharkhand! BJP has ruined democracy and federalism in a single week. It is not hidden from anyone what the central government is doing by destroying the impartiality of the investigating agencies due to the fear of electoral defeat and by making the agencies cells of the BJP,” he said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren resigned on Wednesday evening after over six hours of questioning by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged land scam case. Champai Soren, the state transport minister and a loyalist of Hemant Soren, will step into his role as the Chief Minister.
