Jharkhand CM Soren says ED's insistence on questioning him again before Jan 31 'reeks of malice'

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has charged the Enforcement Directorate of being 'motivated by political agenda' to disrupt the state government's functioning and claimed that its insistence to record his statement again on or before January 31 reeked of malice.

In an email to the federal agency, the 48-year-old JMM executive president alleged that the issuance of summons to him was 'wholly vexatious and in colourable exercise of powers given by the statute.'

"Preserve video recording of seven-hour questioning (of January 20) to make available to the Court of Law," Soren said in the email sent on Sunday, while agreeing to record his statement on January 31 at 1 pm at his residence.

The federal agency had questioned Soren at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20 in the alleged land fraud case and had issued a fresh summons to him asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31, the sources said.

The chief minister left for the national capital on January 27 night while his scheduled government events in the state on Monday were cancelled without any explanation.

An Enforcement Directorate team on Monday visited his Delhi residence in connection with a money laundering investigation.