Champai Soren says will quit JMM; to join BJP in Jharkhand's interest

Ranchi: Champai Soren, the former chief minister of Jharkhand, declared on Wednesday that he will step down from the JMM and his position as minister and that he made the decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party for the benefit of Jharkhand. The tribal leader expressed unequivocally that he is not afraid of any situation.

Soren who met Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi earlier this week and announced joining the saffron party reached Ranchi on Wednesday along with his son and was greeted by a large number of his supporters.

"My decision (to join BJP) is in the interest of Jharkhand... I am used to struggles," Soren said.

Asked about the allegation that he is under "surveillance", the former CM said he is not afraid of any situation and indicated that he will resign from JMM and as minister later on Wednesday.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier in the day alleged that Champai Soren had been under surveillance of his own government's police for the last five months.

Two sub-inspectors (SIs) of the Special Branch of Jharkhand Police were caught by Soren's people in a Delhi hotel while they were keeping watch on the ex-chief minister, Sarma claimed.

Soren also said he is not afraid of any conspiracy against him.

He also said that he does not think it proper to reply to the allegation that he was trapped in ‘operation lotus', a term indicating an attempt to topple governments in states ruled by non-BJP parties.

Champai Soren's son Babulal Soren said JMM failed to give respect to them and now BJP embraced them in a dignified manner.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Babulal Marandi demanded a probe under a sitting judge of the High Court into the "surveillance" on Champai Soren.

Addressing a press conference here, Marandi said, "Two special branch officials have been arrested in Delhi and there are allegations of attempts to honey trap Champai Soren ji. This is a serious issue.” There has been misuse of police machinery to silence those who raise voices against the Hemant Soren government, the former chief minister alleged.

He demanded immediate suspension of officials involved in the act.

Champai Soren had assumed office as the 12th chief minister of Jharkhand on February 2, shortly after his predecessor Hemant Soren resigned just before being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. Champai quit the post and Hemant Soren took oath as the CM again in July, after he was released on bail.

On Tuesday, Champai Soren asserted that he is joining the BJP to save tribal identity and existence, which is at stake in the state's Santhal Pargana region due to “rampant” infiltration from Bangladesh.

The senior JMM leader said only the saffron party seems serious over the issue of tribals, while others are indulging in vote bank politics.

"Today, Bangladeshi infiltration has become a big problem in Santhal Pargana, the holy land of (freedom fighters) Baba Tilka Manjhi and Sido-Kanhu. What can be more unfortunate than the fact that these infiltrators are occupying the land of the descendants of those heroes who never accepted slavery from the British... the dignity of our mothers, sisters and daughters is in danger," Champai Soren said in a post on X.

These intruders are causing economic and social harm to the local people, and if they are not stopped, the existence of "our society in Santhal Pargana will be in danger", he said.

In many areas including Pakur and Rajmahal, the number of infiltrators has become more than that of tribals, Soren claimed.

Only BJP seems serious on this issue and other parties are ignoring it for the sake of vote bank politics, he said, explaining why he decided to join the saffron party.

The veteran politician had earlier said he experienced "bitter humiliation" as chief minister, which compelled him to seek an alternative path. He alleged that all his government programmes in the first week of July were abruptly cancelled by the party leadership without his knowledge.

The JMM leader had said he was left with three options – quit politics, float a party or join hands with a like-minded outfit.

"The people of Kolhan region stood by me at every step, and they rejected the option of taking ‘sanyas'. There was no such forum/platform in the party where I could express my pain and leaders senior to me are away from politics due to health reasons," he said on Tuesday, apparently referring to JMM supremo Shibu Soren under whose leadership he participated in the movement for a separate Jharkhand.

"Your cooperation is expected in this new chapter of struggle for the issues and rights of the tribals, natives, Dalits, backward classes, poor, labourers, farmers, women, youth and common people of Jharkhand," the former CM said.

With PTI inputs