Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand Champai Soren announced on Tuesday that he has placed his “trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi” and decided to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The official announcement puts an end to days of speculation about the move. Mr. Champai, who is still an MLA of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), is also yet to quit his Cabinet post.
Late on Monday, the BJP’s Jharkhand election co-incharge and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced on social media platform X that Mr. Champai would join his party on August 30. Mr. Sarma also shared a photo of Mr. Soren and him meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
On August 18, Mr. Champai had posted on X that on several occasions, he was insulted and humiliated by JMM when he served as Chief Minister for a brief period. Mr. Champai was removed from the post after Chief Minister Hemant Soren walked out of jail last month, and his frustration seemed to be directed at the latter.
Talking to reporters in Delhi on Tuesday, Mr. Champai said, “The situation of Jharkhand is totally different now and after thinking deeply, I have decided to trust Modi ji and my trust on Union Home Minister Amit Shah too has increased. Therefore, I have decided to join the BJP. My struggle for Jharkhand is as clear as a mirror and I do not pay attention to what others say about me,” Mr. Champai said.
Mr. Champai, known as the “Kolhan Tiger”, had won once as an Independent and five times on a JMM ticket from Saraikela Assembly constituency. He pointed out that he had already made his position clear on August 18 with a message on X. He said he had earlier decided to retire, but changed his mind and decided to join the BJP due to public support. He also said that his son Babulal Soren will also the BJP on the same day in Ranchi.
Sources said that Mr. Champai will return to Ranchi from New Delhi on Wednesday. He will land at Birsa Munda Airport by 2:10 p.m. and resign from all posts.
Reacting to the development, JMM general secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey told The Hindu that Mr. Champai was hobnobbing with BJP for the past five to six months.
“On Monday, Sarma ji said he was in touch with him for the past five to six months. This proves that he was talking to BJP well in advance and has been exposed now. The narrative Mr. Champai is trying to create, that he was humiliated and insulted, is totally bogus. If he was already in touch with the BJP, there was no question of insult. Hemant Soren ji had made him CM before going to jail and Mr. Champai Soren himself had said that he will hand over the post once he comes out. The decision to make him CM was unanimously taken by legislators and the decision to remove him was also taken by legislators. He should respect both decisions,” Mr. Pandey said.
