In a fiery allegation, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren engaged in spying on his own state minister, Champai Soren. Speaking at an event in Ranchi, where Champai Soren officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sarma said, “Even I am a CM of a state, and no CM of our country tries to spy on his/her own state ministers, but it was done by Hemant Soren.” Sarma further alleged that the Delhi Police had arrested two individuals for spying on Champai Soren, contradicting Hemant Soren’s assertion that they were there to provide security. “If that was the case, then why didn’t they have any weapons and arms?” Sarma questioned, as reported by PTI.
Champai Soren’s decision to switch allegiance to the BJP is a significant development, as the party intensifies its efforts to attract the scheduled tribes community in Jharkhand ahead of the state elections later this year. Champai Soren, a senior leader with deep roots in Jharkhand’s tribal politics, served as the state’s Chief Minister for four months after Hemant Soren resigned on January 31 following legal troubles with the Enforcement Directorate (ED). His brief tenure as CM ended when Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in June.
During his speech, Sarma expressed astonishment at the alleged surveillance, stating, “Champai Soren was put under surveillance by Jharkhand police for six months. I have never heard of such an instance by any CM. I warn you, Chief Minister Hemant Soren, we will give a befitting reply after two months,” alluding to the upcoming elections.
Champai Soren’s departure from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), a party he had been deeply associated with, was a move that he described as painful but necessary. “I have never imagined that I would quit JMM, a party which is like a family to me… The turn of events of the past forced me to make this decision with much pain… I am pained to say that the party has deviated from its principle,” Soren wrote in a letter on Wednesday.
Justifying his shift to the BJP, Champai Soren voiced concerns about the tribal identity and existence in Jharkhand’s Santhal Pargana region, citing “rampant” infiltration from Bangladesh as a serious threat. His move to the BJP is expected to strengthen the party’s appeal among the tribal communities in the state, especially in regions where the tribal identity is a key electoral issue.
As the political landscape in Jharkhand heats up ahead of the elections, the alliance of Champai Soren with the BJP marks a critical juncture, with significant implications for the state’s tribal politics and the larger electoral battle against the ruling JMM.