Prime Minister Narendra Modi hates the Adivasi community and this is evident from the arrest of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal alleged on Tuesday.

Soren, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in a money-laundering case. He has sought interim bail to campaign for his party during the Lok Sabha elections.

Kejriwal, at a rally in Jamshedpur on Tuesday, described Soren as one of the tallest Adivasi leaders in India. He said that Modi, by arresting the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader, has challenged the entire Adivasi community.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief urged voters in the state to respond to Modi’s “anti-Adivasi” actions by voting for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on May 25 and June 1.

The Aam Aadmi Party and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha are part of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc.

Kejriwal also said that the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre did not invite President Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate the Ram temple in Ayodhya because she is Adivasi.

“Modi insults you [Adivasi community] so much that he does not even invite you to Ram temple, puts your leader in jail and if you keep quiet even now then you will continue to face this suppression,” Kejriwal said.

He added that if the voters vote for the BJP in the upcoming elections Soren will remain in jail. “If you vote for the INDIA bloc, the results will be out on June 4 and the next day Soren will be among you all,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader said.

The Supreme Court on May 10 granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the Delhi liquor policy case till June 1 to enable him to campaign during the Lok Sabha election. Soren has sought interim bail citing Kejriwal’s case as a precedent. In Hemant Soren’s absence, his wife Kalpana Soren has been leading the campaign for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

On Wednesday, Soren withdrew his petition in the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate. The bench verbally observed that he had not disclosed that a special court had already taken cognisance of the complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate.

The court observed that when cognisance of the complaint was taken, Soren’s detention changed into a judicial act from an executive act. The bench then allowed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader to withdraw his petition.

Also read: Why is Supreme Court not applying its Kejriwal bail principle to Hemant Soren?