Former Jharkhand chief minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren addresses party workers, in Ranchi on Saturday.
Former Jharkhand chief minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren addresses party workers, in Ranchi on Saturday.

At a gathering at his residence with JMM supporters, Hemant Soren, the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, criticized the BJP, accusing the party of orchestrating a plot against him. He confidently predicted the BJP’s defeat in the forthcoming state elections.

Soren expressed his belief that the public would retaliate against those who conspired to incarcerate him and affirmed that the people of Jharkhand would not tolerate the BJP’s actions. “The time has come for the BJP’s downfall in Jharkhand,” declared the JMM executive president.

Soren’s comments came after his recent release from Birsa Munda Jail. The state high court had granted him bail in a money laundering case, citing a lack of evidence to prove him guilty prima facie and deeming it unlikely that he would re-offend while out on bail.

Soren was taken into custody on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which was related to an investigation into an alleged illegal land acquisition.

He further criticized the BJP for its influence over constitutional bodies and noted that the party had already faced rejection from the public in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Soren also addressed rumours of early assembly elections, challenging the BJP to proceed with their plans. He dismissed the BJP’s aspirations for victory in Jharkhand with scepticism and criticized their policy of appointing tribal chiefs as mere figureheads in various states.