"Arrested due to his 'Karma': Babulal Marandi takes swipe at Hemant Soren

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], February 2 (ANI): Following the arrest of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chief and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Babulal Marandi took a swipe at him, stating that he was arrested due to his 'karma'.
Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED after several summonses in the alleged land scam case and several hours of questioning on Wednesday night. The probe pertains to huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by forging official records by showing 'fake sellers' and purchasers in the guise of forged or bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crore.
Meanwhile, JMM MLA and a loyalist of Hemant Soren, Champai Soren, was sworn in as the CM of Jharkhand.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Marandi said, "Hemant Soren was arrested due to his 'Karma'. There is a saying, 'As you sow, so shall you reap'. He had been looting the state for the last four years. His government was being run by corrupt officers and mediators."
"I even kept writing to the government about the lapses in various projects. However, he paid no attention to it. Gradually, he had to leave the post of Chief Minister and go behind bars," he added.
Babulal Marandi further extended greetings to the new Chief Minister of the state.
"I extend my greetings to Champai Soren on assuming the top post of the state. I hope he shoulders his responsibilities well," he said.
Speaking on the five-day ED custody of Hemant Soren, Marandi said, "This is a legal procedure. I would not like to comment on it."
Earlier today, Hemant Soren was sent to five-day custody of the Enforcement Directorate by the High Court in connection with an alleged land scam case.
Meanwhile, the state BJP President also spoke about the JMM and Congress MLAs boarding a private aircraft to Hyderabad from Ranchi airport ahead of the floor test in the state assembly.
"The party does not have faith in their MLAs. Champai doesn't have faith in his MLAs. Had this government worked during the past four years, I don't think that they would have fretted over it," Babulal Marandi said.
Earlier today, amidst the political unrest in Jharkhand, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Congress MLAs, including Banna Gupta and others, boarded a private aircraft to Hyderabad from Ranchi airport.
After the swearing-in of new CM Champai Soren, several legislators left for Hyderabad ahead of the floor test in the assembly. This is an effort by the alliance to protect its flock.
In the 81-member Jharkhand assembly, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has 29; its ally, the Congress, has 17 seats, while the RJD and the CPI (ML) have 1 seat each. With the support of 43 MLAs, the INDIA bloc has the numbers to sail through a floor test.
On the opposition bench, the Bharatiya Janata Party has 26 seats, AJSU has 3, while Independents and others have 3 MLAs. One seat in the assembly is vacant.
Responding to the allegations of Hemant Soren that the ED is trying to 'tarnish' his image, Marandi said, "What option is he left with? A thief will never confess. Rather, he always blames it on others. Hemant is saying nothing new."
Earlier on Thursday, the former Jharkhand Chief Minister alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) tried to tarnish his image by conducting raids at his Delhi residence.
A day after Soren's arrest, Soren released a video message in which he claimed that he was not linked to the money laundering case in which he was arrested.
"Most probably ED will arrest me today, but I am not worried as I am Shibu Soren's son...After a full day of questioning, they decided to arrest me in a planned manner on matters that were not related to me," Soren said in a video message recorded just before his arrest. (ANI)