Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey accused Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal of aiding Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in evading authorities in Delhi. This accusation came to light after Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials were unable to locate Soren for nearly 30 hours.
The ED sought Hemant Soren for questioning in connection with a money laundering case tied to an alleged land scam. On the previous day, ED officials conducted searches at Soren's official residence in Delhi, where they seized two luxury BMW cars and Rs 36 lakh in cash.
Despite these efforts, Soren's whereabouts remained unknown until he resurfaced in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand.
Dubey's allegations suggested that Kejriwal facilitated Soren's departure from Delhi to Varanasi, after which Jharkhand Minister Mithilesh Thakur reportedly assisted in completing the journey to Ranchi. The phrase "Chor chor mausera bhai," implying a collusion between the two leaders, was used by Dubey to describe the situation.
Commenting on the situation, Dubey said in a post on X in Hindi: "According to the information, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal assisted in escorting Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren Ji from Delhi to Ranchi. This cooperation extended till Varanasi, after which Ranchi Minister Mithilesh Thakur helped take him (Hemant Soren) to Ranchi. 'Chor chor mausera bhai'."
Amidst the drama, there was also speculation about a potential change in leadership within Jharkhand. A closed-door meeting took place with MLAs and ministers of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led ruling alliance, where Soren's wife, Kalpana Soren, was present. Rumors circulated that she might assume leadership if Hemant Soren were arrested, although no consensus was reached on her appointment as Chief Minister during the legislative party meeting.
Hemant Soren was scheduled to appear before the ED in his residence in Ranchi at 1 pm on the same day. The events leading up to his appearance involved a secretive road trip from Delhi to Ranchi, bypassing the ED team that had been waiting for him at the airport in Delhi.
Neither Arvind Kejriwal nor Mithilesh Kumar publicly responded to the allegations made by Nishikant Dubey. The political landscape buzzed with discussions and analyses of these developments, as the nation watched closely to see how the situation would unfold.
Also Read: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren appears in Ranchi following reports of him going ‘missing’
Also Read: 'Untraceable' Hemant Soren tells probe agency he'll appear before it on Jan 31: Report