'ED hatched conspiracy, planned my arrest': Ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren

NEW DELHI: Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has claimed that his arrest was "planned" by the Enforcement Directorate and said time has come to wage a war against a feudal system that oppresses poor people, Dalits and tribals. In a video message recorded before his arrest, Soren accused the probe agency of hatching a conspiracy against him.
"The ED has come to arrest me.After questioning me for the entire day, they decided to arrest me in a planned manner in an issue which is not linked to me. They hatched a conspiracy against me. They (ED) found no evidence and tried to tarnish my image by conducting raids in Delhi," Soren said in the video message.
Soren was arrested by ED on Wednesday night after 7-hour questioning in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Before his arrest, Soren tendered his resignation as chief minister. Soren claimed he was not linked to the money laundering case in which he was arrested and said truth will eventually prevail.
"I will not cow down ... ultimately truth will prevail," Soren said and added, "We will have to wage a war against a feudal system that oppresses poor people, Dalits and tribals."
SC to hear Soren's plea against arrest on Friday
Meanwhile, Soren's plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate will be heard by Supreme Court on Friday.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra agreed to hear the plea after senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi told the apex court that the leader will be withdrawing his plea from the Jharkhand high court on the issue.
'BJP is anti-tribal'
Members of opposition's INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc hit out at the arrest of Hemant Soren alleging that the BJP was using agencies to destabilise governments.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said that the "anti-tribal face of BJP" is coming to the fore in Jharkhand.
Taking to his social media handle, Akhilesh Yadav posted on X, "Jharkhand will not bow down! The anti-tribal face of the BJP is coming to the fore in Jharkhand. Jharkhand's courageous warrior Shri Hemant Soren ji has always been committed to protecting the tribals and tribal areas of BJP and stood as a wall in front of the corrupt politicians and capitalists of BJP so that Jharkhand can be saved from exploitation. That is why they are being treated so badly. This is an insult to the public opinion of Jharkhand. That is why every resident of Jharkhand will vote against BJP this time and BJP will have to face a historic defeat."
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi also hit out at the centre alleging misuse of central agencies
"ED, CBI, IT etc. are no longer government agencies, now they have become BJP's 'eliminate opposition cell'. The BJP itself, steeped in corruption, is running a campaign to destroy democracy in its obsession with power" Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
Congress chief whip in Lok Sabha Kodikunnil Suresh alleged that the ruling BJP has transformed the central investigation agencies into their own agencies to eliminate the entire opposition in the country.
"The prime minister's office, finance minister's office, and home minister's office are giving directions to the ED and other central government agencies to summon opposition leaders for questioning and raid the opposition leader's houses. They do this because they want to eliminate the entire opposition in the country. This is very unfortunate and undemocratic," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)