Former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who arrived at the Jharkhand Assembly to take part in the floor test of the new Champai Soren government, has accused the governor of playing a role in his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a land scam.
Addressing the Assembly, the JMM executive president said: "On the night of January 31, for the first time in the country, a chief minister was arrested. I believe that Raj Bhavan was also involved in this incident," he said adding that January 31 was a black chapter in India's history.
He said he would give a befitting reply to 'feudal forces' at an appropriate time. "We have not yet accepted defeat. If they think they can succeed by putting me behind bars, this is Jharkhand where many people have laid down their lives," the former chief minister said.
He also challenges the BJP to prove corruption charges against him. "Today I have been arrested on charges of an 8.5-acre land scam. I challenge them to show the documents of the land registered in my name. I will quit politics if the allegations are proved right," Soren added.
Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last week in a money laundering case.
A special PMLA court will hear a petition by arrested Hemant Soren against the ED action on February 12, his counsel Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan said on Monday.
"The next hearing on Hemant Soren's petition against the ED action is on February 12," the advocate general said.
