It was a night of major developments on Wednesday in Jharkhand as its chief minister, Hemant Soren, got arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case and another Soren was named as the new CM by the ruling party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
Champai Soren, state transport minister and a seven-time MLA, was named the new chief minister of Jharkhand by Hemant Soren-led JMM while there was strong speculation that the latter will be arrested by the ED in the money laundering case linked to a land scam. The speculation turned true, with Hemant Soren’s arrest by the ED on Wednesday night.
In a development, preparations are underway to take all the Jharkhand MLAs to Hyderabad, source told Outlook India. Champai Soren, who was named as the new Jharkhand chief minister after Hemant Soren’s arrest by ED, reportedly has the support of over 41 MLAs, which is also the majority mark in the 80-member assembly.
-Soren Moves Supreme Court, Gets Visited By Wife
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Friday a plea of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha executive president and former chief minister Hemant Soren against his arrest in the money laundering case.
Meanwhile, Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana met him at the ED office on Thursday morning.
Soren’s Video Message Before Arrest
Former chief minister Hemant Soren recorded a video message before his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case on Wednesday. Soren said that “time has come to wage a war against a feudal system that oppresses poor, Dalit and tribals.”
“I wil not cow down…Ultimately truth will prevail,” Soren said in his video message recorded just before his arrest.
ALSO READ | Hemant Soren Arrested By ED, Champai Soren Named Jharkhand CM By JMM
Soren also claimed that he was not linked to the money laundering case in which he was arrested.
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The Jharkhand High Court also, meanwhile, on Thursday heard a petition filed by Hemant Soren challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate. After moving the Supreme Court, Kapil Sibal and senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Soren, told the apex court that the JMM leader will be withdrawing his plea from the Jharkhand High Court on the issue.
‘Won’t Compromise…’: Hemant Soren Writes After Arrest
Hemant Soren, who took charge of Jharkhand as its youngest chief minister at 38, was arrested by the ED on Wednesday night. He took to microblogging platform X to give the message that he “will not beg for compromise.”
“…Life is a great battle, I have fought every moment, I will fight every moment but I will not beg for compromise,” he shared on X a poem in Hindi, which roughly translates to this, soon after his arrest.
It is said that Hemant Soren was not the first choice of his father and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) supremo Shibu Soren for inheriting his political legacy, but was groomed in politics after his elder brother Durga died of suspected kidney failure in 2009.
Born on August 10, 1975, at Nemra village near Hazaribag, Hemant did his intermediate from Patna High School and later joined Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra in Ranchi, but dropped out.
Known for his love of badminton, bicycles and books, Hemant has two children with wife Kalpana.
Hemant Soren Moves Jharkhand HC After Arrest, Hearing Today
Former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), moved the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday night.
The ED investigation, under which Soren has been arrested, pertains to a “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand.
The ED arrested Soren after over seven hours of questioning on money laundering charges in an alleged land fraud case. Before the arrest, he tendered his resignation as chief minister.
While it was not known why Soren moved court, his petition will be heard by the bench of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Anubha Rawat Choudhary at 10.30 am on Thursday
Champai Soren Named Jharkhand CM By JMM
Hours after an ED team arrived at the residence of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren for questioning in connection with the money laundering case, his party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and alliance partner Congress named Champai Soren as the new chief minister of the state.
Champai Soren, born in 1956, is the current state transport minister, is a seven-time MLA and represents the Seraikella constituency. He was as an Independent MLA before joining the JMM, a move he made when he was an active part of the movement demanding separate statehood for Jharkhand.
ALSO READ | Who Is Champai Soren, The JMM Leader Set To Replace Hemant Soren As Jharkhand CM?
Hemant Soren Arrested 2 Days After ED’s Hunt For Him
Hemant Soren was arrested on Wednesday, two days after the Enforcement Directorate
