Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday skipped summons issued by the Enforce Directorate to face questioning in connection with a case of alleged illegal mining, and is going to Chhattisgarh to attend a tribal programme instead.
The ED had asked Soren to appear for questioning at its regional office at Ranchi at 11 am but he did not go there.
"The ED has summoned me following a conspiracy. Come and arrest me if I have committed a crime instead of sending a summons for questioning.
"I am neither afraid nor worried. Rather I am emerging stronger. If people of Jharkhand wish, opponents will not find a place to hide," Soren said while addressing Jharkhand Mukti Morcha workers near his residence.
He said he will fly to Raipur to attend a 'Tribal Mahotsav' during the day, for which he had received an invitation.
The JMM executive president alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is making attempts to destabilise his democratically elected government ever since it was voted to power.
Workers of Jharkhand's ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morch on Thursday took out a rally in Ranchi to protest against the Enforcement Directorate's summons to Chief Minister Hemant Soren -- also the JMM executive president -- for questioning in connection with a case of alleged illegal mining.
Shouting slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party and carrying party flags, hundreds of JMM activists from across the state gathered at Morabadi ground.
The protesters -- some of them armed with traditional bows and arrows -- marched to the chief minister's residence.
Soren, who skipped the ED summons, addressed them from atop a temporary stage set up there.
He informed them that he was going to Raipur during the day to participate in a tribal event in Chhattisgarh.
Attacking the BJP, Soren claimed the ED's summons to him was a part of a conspiracy hatched by the saffron party to destabilise his democratically elected government.
He urged them to be ready to oppose any injustice meted out to tribals, Dalits and backward people by ”feudal forces”.
JMM central spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said that workers have gathered voluntarily to show their support to the chief minister who is being ”harassed by the BJP by unleashing all forces”.
Bhattacharya claimed that the assembly was spontaneous as there was anger among JMM workers and they wanted to "stand as a rock behind their leader".
The ED had asked Soren to appear for questioning in the alleged illegal mining case at its regional office in Ranchi at 11 am but he did not go. The CM faces disqualification from the state assembly in the case.
Security arrangements have been beefed up at various places in the Jharkhand capital Ranchi, including the offices of the BJP and the ED.
The ruling coalition, also comprising the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, held a meeting at the CM's residence on Wednesday evening after the ED summoned Soren.
Meanwhile, The ruling UPA in Jharkhand announced it will launch a state-wide protest against the "attempts to destabilise a democratically elected government".
A two-hour meeting of the UPA -- comprising the JMM, the Congress and the RJD -- was held at the CM's residence on Wednesday evening, shortly after the summons was served by the agency.
JMM MLA Sudivya Kumar, following the meeting, said a decision to give a "befitting reply" to the BJP-led Centre, which is "hatching conspiracies using probe agencies", was taken by the leaders of the ruling alliance.
"The UPA has decided to oppose the BJP's move... We will unmask the conspiracy hatched by the BJP, generate awareness among people about it," he said.
"We will stage a protest on November 5 against these attempts to destabilise the government. I will tell people that efforts are being made to disrupt the outreach programmes launched by the Jharkhand government for their welfare," the JMM MLA said.
