Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee have slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Enforcement Directorate's arrest of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.
While Stalin said the ruling party is trying to bully the JMM chief in an act that reeks of desperation, Banerjee said the BJP is "jailing everyone" to win the Lok Sabha elections.
In a strongly worded post on X, Stalin said Hemant Soren's arrest is a blatant display of political vendetta by the BJP-led central government.
"The arrest of Hon'ble Jharkhand Chief Minister Thiru Hemant Soren is a blatant display of political vendetta by the Union BJP Govt. Using investigative agencies to harass a tribal leader is a new low. This act reeks of desperation and abuse of power. BJP's dirty tactics won't silence opposition voices," he wrote on X.
He lauded Soren for "refusing to bow down".
"Despite BJP's vindictive politics, Thiru Hemant Soren stands strong, refusing to bow down. His resilience in the face of adversity is commendable. His determination to fight back against BJP's bullying tactics is an inspiration," he said in the post.
Banerjee on Thursday alleged that the BJP was imprisoning opposition leaders to win the upcoming general elections. "BJP is putting everyone in jail only to win the election," Banerjee said.
Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED in connection with a money-laundering case shortly after he resigned as the chief minister of Jharkhand. Champai Soren, a minister in his government, will become the new chief minister of the JMM-Congress government.
Several Opposition leaders have slammed the government for ED's action.
On the JMM leader's arrest, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy said: "It is part of the government's efforts to stifle the Opposition. The ED and the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) are the main arms of the government to stifle the Opposition."
The Aam Aadmi Party said the arrest betrays the anti-tribal mindset of the BJP.
"Hemant Soren's arrest is an attempt by the BJP-led central government to attack the opposition before the Lok Sabha elections. I am sure that many more opposition leaders will get arrested in the next one month...," Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi said on 'X'.
Her cabinet colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that leaders who do not bow before the BJP are put behind bars.
"Those whom the BJP called corrupt have become chief ministers, deputy chief ministers and ministers in BJP governments. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Ajit Pawar, Narayan Rane, Suvendu Adhikari, Chhagan Bhujbal, Pema Khandu," said the leader of the AAP, which is part of the bloc formed to taken on the BJP in the general elections.
"Those who do not bow cannot be suppressed and are not scared," Bharadwaj said in a post on 'X' in Hindi.
Hemant Soren has been sent on a 24-hour judicial custody. The Supreme Court will hear a plea by his lawyers against his arrest on Friday.
(With inputs from agencies)