Champai Soren, the former chief minister of Jharkhand who joined the BJP on Friday, claimed he had never anticipated being under surveillance and that once he realised he was being watched, he made up his mind to join the saffron party.
Once close to the father of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and party leader Shibu Soren, the previous leader of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), chastised the state administration for its “shameful act” of following his activities.
“I had never imagined that I was being tracked and followed by the special branch for espionage. It is really a matter of investigation. My decision to join BJP grew firm after I came to know that my movements are being tracked,” he alleged.
“It’s a shameful act that the JMM attempted to track and follow my movement,” he claimed.
Champai Soren’s allegations of espionage came after Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, charged that the JMM-led coalition had been monitoring the former for the previous six months.
Sarma, the BJP’s co-in-charge of Jharkhand’s Assembly elections, predicted that the populace would respond appropriately to the next elections, which are scheduled for the state later this year.
While lashing out at the Hemant Soren-led government, Champai Soren said, “I felt insulted in the JMM. I had thought of calling it a day, but supporters motivated me to stay in mainstream politics. After considering all the situations, I decided to join the BJP.”
He claimed that only the BJP could lead the tribal people to a better future and accused the JMM and Congress of being unconcerned about their well-being.
“That’s why I have joined BJP with an open heart. We will build a new Jharkhand by staying here with the BJP,” Champai Soren said.
Champai Soren and his son Babulal joined the BJP at a ceremony in Ranchi that was witnessed by senior party officials Laxmikant Bajpai, Arjun Munda, Sarma, and state party chief Babulal Marandi. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was also present.
The addition of Champai Soren is thought to be a major plus for the BJP’s attempts to deepen its ties with the Scheduled Tribes (STs), a major source of support for the JMM.
Prior to this, Sarma declared that Champai Soren will be joining the BJP on Friday, August 30, following their meeting in Delhi with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Following Hemant Soren’s resignation and subsequent arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case, Champai Soren was named Chief Minister on February 2.
On July 3, he submitted his resignation, allowing Hemant Soren, who had been granted bail, to return to work on July 4.
Champai Soren resigned from JMM on Wednesday, stating in a letter to Shibu Soren that he was “aggrieved by the present style of functioning of the JMM and its policies” and that this was forcing him to do so.
