"Open The Envelope Now": Jharkhand's Hemant Soren Wants Membership Limbo To End

Hemant Soren slams BJPs central government for approval to releasing 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano case, says it encourages others to commit such crimes

A decision on his assembly membership in limbo for two months now, as the Governor stays quiet on possible disqualification over a mining contract, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has said he's used to such threats since the beginning of his term.

“The government will complete three years soon, and we have always been ‘in danger',” he told NDTV in an interview, “I am not worried about conspiracies. What can I say to troubled souls? The people have given us power, and we'll complete our term."

“Opposition in the state (BJP) is using the Raj Bhavan as a shield to score political points,” the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader alleged.

The BJP, in power at the Centre and the main Opposition in Jharkhand, filed the complaint against Mr Soren over his awarding a contract to himself while in office. The Election Commission is learnt to have recommended his disqualification as MLA, but the Governor has not yet made the final decision — thus, uncertainty looms over the JMM-Congress alliance government.