"Are We Thieves?": Jharkhand Chief Minister On Probe Agency Summons
NDTV
Mr Soren was supposed to appear at the ED's regional office in Ranchi on Thursday.
Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Thursday responded to queries on why he skipped summons from probe agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case.
"You issue a summons and expect me to appear the next day? I received the invitation for the National Tribal Dance Festival a month ago," chief minister Soren told NDTV.
Mr Soren was supposed to appear at the ED's regional office in Ranchi on Thursday. However, he skipped the summons and instead addressed Jharkhand Mukti Morcha workers outside his official residence before leaving for Raipur to attend the dance festival.
"If the crime was so serious, they could have directly arrested me," Mr Soren said at the closing ceremony of the festival. "We have a schedule. An assembly session has been called on November 12. Following that, President Droupadi Murmu will visit Jharkhand on November 15 for the statehood day function."
