Former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda, Kanimozhi, A Raja… Wasn't ED, CBI misused back then? Asks BJP MP

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday recalled the arrest of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, along with other prominent leaders Kanimozhi and A Raja, while snubbing INDIA bloc leaders' allegations of the BJP using central agencies. Hemant Soren, who stepped down as the fifth CM of Jharkhand before getting arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in connection with the alleged land scam. He was the third Jharkhand CM to be taken into custody.

“Who sent Madhu Koda, Kanimozhi, and A. Raja to judicial custody? Wasn't the ED and CBI being misused back then? They all belong to the same mentality... Did we keep ₹36 lakh cash at Hemant Soren's residence? Did we transfer 'Benami' properties in his name?” Dubey asked.

Also read: What did Jharkhand's Hemant Soren tell Kapil Sibal before his arrest by ED?

Soren has been sent to five-day custody under the ED after he was kept under judicial custody for a day. He was arrested on January 31 after being grilled by the ED officials for around seven hours.

Soren's arrest led to political unrest in the state. Senior leader of his Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party, Champai Soren, took oath as the next CM on Friday. After the swearing-in, several legislators left for Hyderabad ahead of the floor test in the assembly. This is an effort by the alliance to protect its flock.

The Opposition INDIA bloc leaders have been condemning the arrest and alleged the ruling BJP-led central government of using the CBI and ED against its detractors.

"I strongly condemn the unjust arrest of Shri Hemant Soren, a powerful tribal leader. The vindictive act by BJP-backed central agencies reeks of a planned conspiracy to undermine a popularly elected government," West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Top Opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar and TR Baalu, had earlier met at the residence of Kharge on the day Soren was arrested by the ED. They are alleging that Soren was forced to quit as chief minister and the new government formation was delayed.

Former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda was arrested and sent to jail for corruption charges against him. He served as CM between 2006 and 2008 in an alliance with the then-UPA government. He was accused of accumulating disproportionate assets and money laundering.