"Coalition is strong, will contest elections ahead": Congress leader on Jharkhand political situation

New Delhi [India], January 5 : As the Enforcement Directorate tightens its grip on Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir has said that the coalition in the state is strong and it will contest the elections ahead.
"The situation in Jharkhand is fine. The coalition is also fine. If there is any discrepancy, then the concerned people will have a look. As far as the coalition of JMM and Congress is concerned, it is strong. The government will function and we'll contest the elections ahead," he told ANI.
Meanwhile, amid speculations that the Jharkhand Chief Minister may be out of power in view of the ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids against his associates, Hemant Soren chaired an important meeting of ministers and MLAs of the ruling alliance to discuss the political situation.
In the meeting, the Chief Minister gave his views on the entire incident of being issued a summons by the ED and informed every party leader about it, a press release from the Chief Minister's Secretariat stated.
The Chief Minister was issued a 'last opportunity' on Tuesday by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to record his statement in an alleged land scam days ago. Soren, in turn, replied to the agency, labelling the summons as 'illegal.'
In the meeting, all the MLAs expressed their full confidence in the Chief Minister. Soren assured his support to all his ministers and MLAs and said that he would continue to support them in future.
Following the meeting, Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav said that Hemant Soren will continue to be the Chief Minister.
"In the meeting, there were 43 MLAs and the thing that has come forward is that Hemant Soren is Chief Minister and he will remain Chief Minister in the coming days also," Pradeep Yadav told reporters.
Jharkhand Congress MLA Irfan Ansari who also attended the meeting, said that all of them will support Hemant Soren, who will stay in power as the Chief Minister for the next 25 years. The Congress is a partner of the JMM government in Jharkhand.
"We are with Hemant Soren. He will stay the Chief Minister for 25 years," Irfan Ansari told ANI after the meeting."
The ED issued fresh summons to Hemant Soren on Saturday for questioning in connection with an alleged land scam. This was the seventh summons issued to Soren by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, asking him to appear before the agency and record his statement in connection with the alleged scam.