Hemant Soren's Message From Jail Read Out By Wife At Big INDIA Bloc Rally

The BJP was trying to topple governments in opposition-ruled states but democracy cannot be allowed to fail, said former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in a message from jail that his wife Kalpana read out at a mega rally in Ranchi on Sunday.

She was speaking at the opposition bloc INDIA's 'Ulgulan Nyay' rally, which was attended by leaders of 28 parties.

"Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and my husband Hemant Soren were jailed just before the elections by forces that were hatching conspiracies against their governments," she said.

Reading out her husband's message, she said, "Central agencies such as the ED and CBI are being misused to suppress the opposition's voice but BJP and such forces will be driven out from Jharkhand." Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31 in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land fraud, immediately after his resignation as the chief minister.

"In their (BJP) 10-year tenure, they have the most ruthless evil eye on tribal communities and their notified areas. For example, Manipur has been burning for the past several months. The dignity of the tribal daughters and daughters-in-law is being compromised there. The whole country is watching but the Centre is silent. Till date, the central government has not taken any notice. This is their love for the tribals," the message read.

The BJP government promised to include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution but it was not given to the people of that region, said Kalpana while reading her husband's message.

"If NDA wins the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, there will be a huge threat to the tribals of the state and the country. Saving Jharkhand at any cost is saving the country," it read.

He claimed that a proposal for delimitation was made after the state was formed in 2000, but it was not done despite large-scale protests.

The former CM also emphasised the need for implementation of Sarna religious code in Jharkhand besides paving the way for 27 per cent reservation to backward classes.

"The people of Jharkhand will continue to fight for their rights until they get their rights... we will fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections strongly and win it. ... BJP has to be driven out of Jharkhand." Kalpana Soren is likely to contest the bypoll to the Gandey assembly seat, which is slated for May 20. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)