Former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren passes away

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren has passed away after a prolonged fight with kidney-related illness. The 81-year-old was on ventilator support for the past few days at the Sri Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, having been hospitalised in the last week of June.Soren was the leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha for the past 38 years and was the party's founding patron.The news was confirmed by Soren's son and current Chief Minister of Jharkand Hemant Soren in a post on X. &quot;Respected Dishom Guruji has left us all... I have become 'shunya' (zero) today,&quot; Hemant Soren's post read. A tribal leader, Soren, was the chief minister of the state thrice, first for 10 days in 2005. He returned to the top post in August 2008 but could only spend a little over four months in office. His third term was from December 30, 2009, which ended a year later. A tribal leader, Soren, was the chief minister of the state thrice, first for 10 days in 2005. He returned to the top post in August 2008 but could only spend a little over four months in office. His third term was from December 30, 2009, which ended a year later.Born in Nemra village of Ramgarh district (at that time Bihar state), Soren belonged to the Santal tribe. His political journey began at 18 when he formed the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh. In 1972, Bengali Marxist trade union leader A. K. Roy, Kurmi-Mahato leader Binod Bihari Mahato, and Soren formed Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Though Jaipal Singh Munda of the Jharkhand Party was the first person to claim a separate state, Soren emerged as the tallest leader of the state, spearheading the movement for Jharkhand under the banner of the JMM.Soren established the Pokhariya Ashram in Bokaro district, from where he began to fight for tribals and their rights against moneylenders. Their agitation sometimes turned violent after Soren forcibly took over tribal lands that were alienated and held Kangaroo courts.His first election to the Lok Sabha was in 1977, which he lost. Soren, however, won from Dumka in 1980, retaining the seat in 1989, 1991, and 1996 as well.Soren went on to become the Union Coal Minister in the Manmohan Singh government, but had to resign following an arrest warrant in his name in the thirty-year-old Chirudih case, where a clash between tribals and Muslims resulted in the death of 10 people. He was re-inducted into the Union Cabinet and given back the coal ministry on 27 November 2004, as part of a deal for a Congress-JMM alliance.After decades of agitation, steered by him and others, the demand for a separate state was finally fulfilled with the formation of Jharkhand on November 15, 2000. However, JMM couldn’t win the first elections and BJP’s Babulal Marandi became the new state’s first Chief Minister and remained in power until 2003.The JMM won the 2005 Assembly polls in the new state, following which Soren first became the chief minister.Soren is survived by his wife, Roopi Kisku, and three sons, Durga Soren, Hemant Soren, and Basant Soren, and a daughter, Anjali Soren.

{{userProperties.displayName}}

News

Magazine

Specials

Reviews

Services

Leisure

Multimedia

News

Magazine

Specials

Reviews

Services

Leisure

Multimedia

News

Magazine

Specials

Reviews

Services

Leisure

Multimedia

Former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren passes away

TAGS