Former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren joined the BJP on Friday along with his son. The veteran leader quit the JMM only two days ago.
The veteran politician visibly became emotional after he was welcomed into the saffron fold. Along with him, a large number of his supporters crossed over to the saffron camp in the presence of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“Tribal identity put at stake by Congress, I am committed to deliver justice to people,” Soren said after joining BJP
The joining of the 67-year-old tribal leader to the BJP was seen as a shot in the arm for the saffron party’s efforts to boost its connection with the Scheduled Tribes, a community which has been the main voter base of the JMM.
Soren, who briefly held the chief minister’s post after Hemant Soren’s resignation, 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 Baba Tilka Manjhi and Sido-Kanhu. What can be more unfortunate than the fact that these infiltrators are occupying the lands of the descendants of those heroes who never accepted slavery of the British… the dignity of our mothers, sisters and daughters is in danger,” Champai Soren said in a post on X earlier this week.
All you need to know about Champai Soren
A long-time associate of JMM leader Shibu Soren, Champai Soren, resigned from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday. He stated that the current approach and policies of the state government forced him to part ways with the party he had loyally served for many years.
Champai, who has been dubbed ‘Jharkhand’s Tiger’ for his significant role in the movement to establish a separate state in the 1990s, made this decision ahead of the upcoming elections for the 81-member assembly, which are scheduled to take place later this year.
Jharkhand was officially formed in 2000 from the southern region of Bihar.