NEW DELHI: Former Jharkhand chief minister
Hemant Soren
, who was arrested by the
Enforcement Directorate
in an alleged
money laundering
case, on Monday accused the BJP of treating adivasis and dalits as untouchables and said if the saffron party can prove corruption charges against him, he will quit politics. Soren also accused the
Raj Bhavan
of playing a role in his arrest.
"A black night and a black chapter was added to the democracy of the country on the night of January 31. I think this is the first time in the country's history that a chief minister was arrested inside the Raj Bhavan. I don't remember if this has happened before or not. I feel Raj Bhavan was also involved in some way in this episode," the former chief minister said.
Lashing out at the BJP, the former chief minister said, "I do not understand why the ruling (central) government has so much hatred towards tribals and dalits ... They don't hesitate to say that we should remain in jungles. If we come out of jungle their graves will get dirty. They think that we are untouchables."
Soren said that his arrest is just an example of the oppression faced by tribals and dalits in the society in multiple ways. "If you look back at the oppression faced by adivasis, backward, Dalits and minorities, it has been brought forward in multiple ways in different forms. January 31 is an example of this oppression," he said.
"Tribals and Dalits are not safe under the present regime in the country … I will come back with more strength. Opposition's conspiracy will be thwarted," the JMM leader added.
Hemant Soren alleged that the January 31 episode had been planned back in 2022. "They have been planning this January 31 episode for a long time, since 2022. They were cooking this up in low flame for a long time. But this dish was not ready to be cooked. However, they served the half-cooked dish for themselves and they arrested me," Soren said.
"The way the episode has been planned has left me surprised because I come from an Adivasi family and not well versed in the rules and procedures ... However, the ability to distinguish between right and wrong is there in every human and every animal," the former chief minster said.
Soren also accused the BJP of not letting any tribal CM complete 5 years in Jharkhand. Except non-tribal BJP leader Raghubar Das, none of the other 10 previous chief ministers belonging to the saffron party or JMM could complete a full five-year term in the state which was formed in 2000. "However, I will not shed tears now. I will give a befitting reply to the feudal forces at an appropriate time," Hemant Soren said.
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