Infighting in Jharkhand's ruling family; Sita Soren opposes Kalpana as CM

Ranchi: Amid hectic political activities and questioning of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the ED here on Wednesday, a rift has emerged in the ruling Soren family with JMM lawmaker Sita Soren, the elder daughter-in-law of party supremo Shibu Soren, openly saying she would oppose any move to make Kalpana Soren the chief minister.

This comes against the backdrop of strong rumours that Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana will be the first choice for the CM post if her husband is arrested.

Talking to PTI over the phone, Sita Soren strongly objected to any move to make Kalpana Soren the leader of JMM legislative party.

Incidentally, Kalpana Soren was also present at the meeting of alliance legislators at the CM's residence on Tuesday and photos were also shared by the Chief Minister's Office.

"I would like to ask why only Kalpana Soren, who is not even an MLA and has no political experience," the Jama legislator told PTI.

Under what circumstances her (Kalpana's) name was being touted as the next chief minister when there are so many senior leaders in the party, the widow of Durga Soren, questioned.

Sita Soren, who was not present at the legislators meeting, she was out of the city for some personal reasons and would reach Ranchi in the evening.

"I will strongly protest any move to make her CM...," said Sita, who has been an MLA for around 14 years.

"There are several senior leaders in the party, who could be given the rein. If they wanted to elect from a family, I am the senior-most in the house and have been an MLA for around 14 years," she said.

A senior leader who did not wish to be quoted said several MLAs were absent during the legislators meeting.

Earlier this month, Soren had dismissed speculations of his wife contesting from Gandey assembly constituency and had termed it as a "complete imagination" of the BJP.

"Possibility of my wife contesting in the near future is a complete imagination of the BJP... The speculation about handing over reins to her is a fabric woven by the BJP to build a false narrative," the chief minister had told PTI.

The speculations were triggered by the Enforcement Directorate's recent summons to the chief minister coupled with the sudden resignation by the ruling JMM's Gandey MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad in December.

The opposition BJP has claimed that Ahmad was made to quit so that the chief minister's wife could contest from Gandey in case of any eventuality in connection with the ED summonses.

Soren has been in the eye of a political storm after the ED summonses in an alleged corruption case.

The agency had recorded the statement of the 48-year-old chief minister on January 20 after investigators went to his official residence in Ranchi.

They recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It is understood that as the questioning did not finish on that day, fresh summons was issued.

The investigation pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, according to the agency.

The ED has, so far, arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan who served as the director of the state's social welfare department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.