NEW DELHI, Aug 30: With the state Assembly elections round the corner, the former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren joined the BJP at a grand function in Ranchi on Friday. His son Babulal Soren also joined the party.
Mr Champai Soren, who was a minister in the current Hemant Soren cabinet, had quit the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday. Addressing his first rally after quitting the JMM, Mr Champai said he had nurtured the party with his “blood and sweat” and earned a position in the party after a long struggle, but he was humiliated and insulted.
“After going through the insult and humiliation, I was thinking of retiring but seeing the love of the people and supporters, I dropped the decision and thought of forming a new party. But time was very less, so I joined the BJP,” Mr Champai said at the event. All top leaders of the Jharkhand BJP, the State’s Assembly election in-charge Shivraj Singh Chouhan and co-in-charge the Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the BJP State president Babulal Marandi were present on the occasion.
Mr Champai raised the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration in the Santhal Pargana. “The Santhal Pargana, which was created by our ancestors, today is dominated by Bangladeshi infiltrators. We all have to save it by making the lotus (BJP’s symbol) bloom there. The identity of the tribals is in danger and no other party can fight this battle except the BJP,” he said.
Born into a family of farmers, Mr Champai left studies after Class 10 and joined the Jharkhand movement in the 1980s. Nicknamed ‘Tiger’ by JMM founder Shibu Soren, he emerged as one of the tallest leaders in the party. In the 1990s, he organised big rallies in the interest of unorganised workers in Jamshedpur and surrounding areas. From 1991 to 2019, he won all the elections, except the one held for the Saraikela Assembly constituency in 2000. It was from Saraikela that Mr Champai first won as an Independent candidate in the 1991 by-election and became an MLA.
Mr Champai had held the post of a Minister four times and in 2010 became a Cabinet Minister in Arjun Munda’s BJP-JMM government. Following the arrest of Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in an alleged money laundering case, Mr Champai was made the Chief Minister and remained in office till July 3. But he had to make way for the return of Hemant Soren as the chief minister after he was released on bail last month.
After Mr Champai’ induction in the BJP, Mr Biswa Sarma alleged that the former CM Champai Soren was kept under surveillance by his own government for six months and a befitting reply awaits the “corrupt” JMM-led alliance in two months. “Champai Soren was put under surveillance by Jharkhand police for six months. I have never heard of such an instance by any CM. I warn you (Chief Minister Hemant Soren), we will give a befitting reply after two months,” Sarma said. The Jharkhand police, however, has strongly refuted the allegation.
Earlier in the day, Ramdas Soren took oath as new Minister in the Hemant Soren Cabinet, replacing Mr Champai who was in charge of the Water Resources, and Higher Education and Technical Education departments. Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Ramdas.
Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly are scheduled later this year and its schedule is expected to be announced by the Election Commission of India any time now.
(Manas Dasgupta)