After former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Champai Soren publicly declared that he was insulted and disappointed in the party, Union Minister Jitan Ram Majhi on Sunday ‘welcomed him into the NDA family ruling at the Centre’. Soren had reached New Delhi from Ranchi on Sunday and amid the discussions about his joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the last few days, he wrote a long post on social media about the insulting behavior with him in JMM, in which he has given a strong indication of his estrangement from the party.
After his post, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Majhi wrote on the social media platform ‘Champai da you were a tiger, are a tiger and will remain a tiger, welcome to the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) family, Johar Tiger …. Champai Soren.’
Soren has written one more thing at the end of his long post, this is my personal struggle, so I have no intention of involving any party member in it or causing any harm to the organization. We can never even think of harming the party which we have nurtured with our blood and sweat. But, the circumstances have been created such that… He wrote Johar friends, after watching the news today, many questions must be arising in your mind. What happened that brought the son of a poor farmer living in a small village of Kolhan to this point. From raising the voice of workers against industrial houses in the beginning of my public life to the Jharkhand movement, I have always done politics of public concern.
He wrote that I have been trying to get the rights of the tribals, natives, poor, laborers, students and backward class people of the state. Whether I held any post or not, I was always available for the public, raising the issues of those people who dreamed of a better future with the state of Jharkhand. He said that meanwhile on 31 January, after an unprecedented development, India Alliance chose me to serve the state as the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand. From the first day of my tenure to the last day (03 July), I discharged my duties towards the state with full loyalty and dedication. During this time we took many decisions in public interest and as always, I was always available for everyone.
Soren wrote that the people of the state will evaluate the decisions we have taken keeping in mind the elders, women, youth, students and every section of the society and every person of the state. He said that when we got power, we took a pledge to serve the state by paying homage to heroes like Baba Tilka Manjhi, Bhagwan Birsa Munda and Sido-Kanhu. Every child of Jharkhand knows that during my tenure, I never did anything wrong to anyone nor allowed anything to happen to anyone.
He wrote that meanwhile, the next day of Hul Diwas, I came to know that all my programs for the next two days have been postponed by the party leadership. One of these was a public program in Dumka while the other was to distribute appointment letters to PGT teachers. On asking, I came to know that the coalition has called a meeting of the legislative party on July 3 and till then you cannot attend any program as CM.
He said that can there be anything more humiliating in a democracy than the fact that a Chief Minister’s programs are cancelled by someone else. Despite swallowing this bitter insult, I said that the appointment letter distribution is in the morning, while the meeting of the legislative party will be held in the afternoon, so I will join it from there. But I was flatly refused from there.
Champai said that for the first time in my spotless political journey of the last four decades, I was broken from within. I could not understand what to do. For two days I sat quietly and introspected, kept looking for my mistake in the whole incident. I did not have the greed for power even a bit, but to whom could I show this blow to my self-respect? How could I express the pain inflicted by my own people?
The former Chief Minister said that when the party’s central executive meeting is not being held for years and one-sided orders are being passed, then whom should I go to and tell my problems. In this party, I am counted among the senior members, the rest are juniors and the supremo who is senior to me is no longer active in politics due to health, then what option did I have, if he had been active then perhaps the situation would have been different.
He said that although the Chief Minister has the right to call a meeting of the legislative party, I was not even told the agenda of the meeting. During the meeting, I was asked to resign. I was surprised but I had no desire for power, so I immediately resigned, but my heart was emotional due to the blow to my self-respect. I was emotional due to the insulting behavior for the last three days and was trying to control my tears, but they were only interested in the chair. I felt as if I had no existence in that party, no existence at all, for which I had dedicated my entire life. Meanwhile, many such insulting incidents took place, which I do not want to mention at the moment. After so much insult and contempt, I was forced to look for an alternative path.
Champai said that with a heavy heart I said in the same meeting of the legislative party that ‘a new chapter of my life is going to start from today.’ I had three options in this. First, to retire from politics, second, to form my own organization and third, if I find a partner on this path, then to travel further with him. From that day till today and till the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, all options are open for me in this journey. Yours, Champai Soren.
It is noteworthy that Champai Soren was elected by the party MLAs for the post of Chief Minister after the resignation of JMM leader and state Chief Minister Hemant Soren a few months ago in the money laundering case. Hemant Soren has again assumed the post of Chief Minister after coming out of jail on bail. Champai Soren has not yet made any clear announcement about his resignation and no statement has come from the BJP in this regard either.
