Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren skips ED date, to hold another special house session

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren was called by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear on Thursday in an illegal mining case in which the ED has already arrested Pankaj Mishra, alleged to be a close aide of Soren.

However, since Wednesday it was quite clear that Soren would not appear before the ED. On Thursday morning, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) workers started gathering at the CM's residence in Ranchi protesting the ED summons. Soren left for Raipur to attend the tribal festival organised by the Chhattisgarh government. His office released his schedule till November 15, indicating that he was not going to appear before the ED on any of these days.

On Wednesday evening, Soren had called a meeting of his alliance partners, Congress, RJD and a few independents at his residence after the ED notice was served during the day.


The government has decided to call a special one-day session of the assembly on November 11 - the second such session in less than two months. The Soren government had proved its majority on September 5 in a special one-day session in the assembly. Sources told ET that in the wake of the ED summons, the government will show its strength in the assembly through the one-day session.

JMM has decided to organise protests across the state over the ED summons. "It is political vendetta, and the Union government is misusing agencies to threaten democratically elected leaders. But the people of Jharkhand will give a befitting reply," JMM leader Sudivya Kumar Sonu told ET.

BJP has also decided to hold protests starting November 7.