Ramgarh (Jharkhand):

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday criticised Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for replacing tribal leader Champai Soren as Chief Minister, alleging that the move was driven by a desire for ‘dynastic control’.

Speaking in Ramgarh, Mr Chouhan accused Mr Soren of prioritising the interests of a single family.

“What was the fault of Champai Soren? You made him the Chief Minister, you could have let him continue, but you removed a tribal Chief Minister. Just because you want to have the hold of just one family…,” Mr Chouhan said.

Meanwhile, during his visit to Ramgarh, Jharkhand, the Union Minister interacted with locals, who shared that while housing approvals under the rural housing scheme have been granted and the installments received, they are still facing issues due to the “policies and corruption of the Soren government in Jharkhand”.

The locals further said, “the sand, which should cost Rs 3,300, is now priced at Rs 5600, making it unaffordable. This significant increase in the price of materials like sand and bricks is creating difficulties in constructing their homes”.

On July 4, Hemant Soren was sworn-in as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in Raj Bhavan, Ranchi.

Earlier in the day, Mr Chouhan said that significant change in Jharkhand will be seen in the upcoming assembly elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) poised to form a government by defeating the “corrupt, dishonest, and chaotic” current government.

“Now the biggest thing is that the real change will happen in the Assembly elections, the corrupt, dishonest, and chaotic government will go and the BJP will come,” Mr Chouhan said.

Speaking during his visit to Ramgarh, Chouhan emphasised the BJP’s commitment to ending the misrule of the coalition government in Jharkhand. He highlighted the state’s vast potential and called Jharkhand a “wonderful state.”

“I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to come to this holy land of Jharkhand. It is our resolve to end the misrule of the coalition government here. It is a wonderful state and has tremendous potential. The soul of the BJP is our ideology – the philosophy of integral humanism and workers are our life,” Mr Chouhan said.

Mr Chouhan also shared his experiences of visiting and having breakfast with party workers, stating that these interactions brought him great joy.

Further slamming the current government in Jharkhand, the Union Minister said that the state is in very bad condition and the “coalition government is destroying and ruining Jharkhand”.

“The situation that I have seen and the things that the party workers have told me, Jharkhand is in a bad condition; it’s loot everywhere. Seeing this fills my heart with pain. This coalition government is destroying and ruining Jharkhand. This is a government that has not fulfilled a single promise,” Mr Chouhan said.

Mr Chouhan expressed concerns over increasing infiltration in Jharkhand, warning that it jeopardises the state’s future. He promised that the BJP would end the current misgovernance and establish effective governance once again.

“Our workers are filled with enthusiasm. The people are living in a chaotic situation, and they have made up their minds to uproot this coalition from Jharkhand and bring in the BJP,” Mr Chouhan said.

During his visit, Mr Chouhan also engaged with women of Self Help Groups (SHGs) at a panchayat secretariat in Ramgarh. He praised their efforts towards realizing Prime Minister Modi’s vision of ‘Lakhpati Didi’ and acknowledged PM Modi’s initiative to build houses for extremely backward castes.

“Women are working very hard to fulfil PM Modi’s vision of ‘Lakhpati Didi’…PM Modi decided to build houses for extremely backward castes…” Mr Chouhan said.

Meanwhile, in the village of Sugia, a group member proudly showcased handmade brass utensils, mentioning that they fetch a good price in the market. During this time, Lakhpati Didi Sushila presented the Union Minister for Rural Development with a handmade traditional Jharkhandi cap.

The floor test of the new government in Jharkhand, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who took the oath of office for the third time on Thursday, will be held on July 8 during a special session of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.

Mr Soren, on June 28, was released on bail in a land scam case after spending around five months in jail.

Champai Soren resigned from the post just five months after taking the oath, setting the ball rolling for Hemant Soren to again take over the role on Wednesday. Champai Soren took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in the Raj Bhavan on February 2 this year.

Hemant Soren was released from the Birsa Munda Jail on June 28 after nearly five months following bail from Jharkhand High Court in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He had resigned as Chief Minister before his arrest on January 31.

He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January on charges related to an alleged land scam and money laundering. Earlier on December 29, Hemant Soren took the oath as Chief Minister of Jharkhand as the 11th Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

The event was termed as ‘Sankalp Diwas’ by mark the beginning of an era of new Jharkhand.Hemant Soren’s return as CM will bolster the JMM, which won three seats in the tribal-dominated state of Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha elections.

In 2019, JMM fought the assembly elections in alliance with the Congress and Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and got a comfortable majority with forty-seven seats in the 81-member house.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ranchi:

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday reacted to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s statement and said that the BJP neither harasses nor protects anyone, adding that Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has harassed Champai Soren by making him the Chief Minister for a few days.

“BJP neither harasses nor protects, investigation agencies do their job, they have harassed Champai Soren by making him the Chief Minister for a few days. What would have happened if he had remained the Chief Minister for a few more days? This makes it clear that they want only one family to rule. The hunger for power is such that if they come back, they will not stay without a chair for even two days,” Mr Chouhan told reporters.

“The BJP is in the field with full force and will establish good governance again by winning the elections here,” he added.

The floor test of the new government in Jharkhand, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who took oath of office for the third time on Thursday, will be held on July 8 during a special session of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.

Earlier today, Hemant Soren was sworn-in as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in Raj Bhavan, Ranchi.

In a veiled attack on the BJP, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha executive president Hemant Soren slammed the BJP and said that the “arrogant people intoxicated with power” tried to “silence” him but with the support of the people, he was released from jail.

Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court on June 28 after spending five months in jail.

Before he took the oath, he posted a video message on X in which he slammed “arrogant people intoxicated with power (BJP) who tried to silence me” and said, “Today, the public opinion of the people of Jharkhand will rise again. Jai Jharkhand, Jai Hind.”

“Today is July 4. On January 31, from the same place, I conveyed a message to you all on how the opposition has conspired against me. They were successful. For five months, they tried to keep me inside the jail by different means. We took the legal path and people supported us. The people of the state supported us and at last the court released me from jail,” said Hemant Soren in a video message before taking oath as Jharkhand CM.

He further said that the opposition put him in jail by levelling false allegations.

“In the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly Elections, the people of Jharkhand gave our party mandate but the conspirators were unable to digest how an Adivasi youngster can sit in such a high position. At last, on January 31, they (the BJP) put false allegations on me and removed me from the post of Chief Minister. Because of the people’s blessings, I’m here out sitting in front of you. We will always be the voice of the people. Today, the public opinion of the people of Jharkhand will rise again. By taking charge, the work will be carried out again,” he said.

Earlier today, Hemant Soren arrived at the oath ceremony, with JMM national president Shibu Soren arrived at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi.

Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oath of office to Soren.

Soren, on June 28, was released on bail in a land scam case after spending around five months in jail.

Champai Soren resigned from the post just five months after taking the oath, setting the ball rolling for Hemant Soren to again take over the role on Wednesday.

Champai Soren took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in the Raj Bhavan on February 2 this year.

Hemant Soren was released from the Birsa Munda Jail on June 28 after nearly five months following bail from Jharkhand High Court in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He had resigned as Chief Minister before his arrest on January 31.

He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January on charges related to an alleged land scam and money laundering.

Earlier on December 29, Hemant Soren took the oath as Chief Minister of Jharkhand as the 11th Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

The event was termed as ‘Sankalp Diwas’ by mark the beginning of an era of new Jharkhand.

Hemant Soren’s return as CM will bolster the JMM, which won three seats in the tribal-dominated state of Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha elections.

In 2019, JMM fought the assembly elections in alliance with the Congress and Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and got a comfortable majority with forty-seven seats in the 81-member house.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Setting the ball rolling for Hemant Soren to take over as the Jharkhand chief minister again, his close aide, Champai Soren, has resigned from the post just five months after taking oath. 

Champai Soren, who is seen as the number three in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, was sworn in on February 2, two days after then chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a land scam. He was released on bail on June 28 by the Jharkhand High Court which noted that there was reason to believe that he was “not guilty of the offence”.

After handing over his resignation to Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Wednesday evening, Champai Soren, who was earlier reported to be upset over being asked to leave the post, said in Hindi, “When the leadership had changed, I was given responsibility. You know the sequence of events. After Hemant Soren came back, we (the coalition) picked him as our leader and I have resigned. I am following the decision taken by the coalition.”

Asked when he would take oath, Hemant Soren, who was standing next to Champai Soren, said more details would be given later. 

Jharkhand is ruled by a coalition consisting of the JMM, Congress, RJD and the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.

“Insulted”

Earlier on Wednesday, the JMM had elected Hemant Soren as the legislature party leader, paving the way for him to take over as chief minister. The move defied a very strong buzz that Champai Soren would retain the post and Hemant Soren would return as chief minister only after the Jharkhand Assembly elections, due later this year, if the coalition won.

Sources had told NDTV that Champai Soren, who is likely to be named the JMM’s Executive President, was upset at being asked to resign as chief minister and had said at the party meeting that he was feeling insulted.

Leaders of the ruling coalition reached a consensus on Hemant Soren’s return during a meeting at Champai Soren’s residence. Among the attendees were Congress’ Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir, state president Rajesh Thakur and Hemant Soren’s wife and MLA Kalpana Soren.

Sources said the decision was taken to ensure that the elections were fought with Hemant Soren as the face of the party. JMM has 27 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly, the Congress has 18 and the RJD and the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation have one each.

The BJP, which has 24 MLAs, has hit out Hemant Soren and repeated its dynastic politics charge against his family. 

Ranchi:

Hemant Soren is set to take over as Jharkhand Chief Minister again after the alliance of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress and the RJD elected him leader, paving the way for his return to the top post.

Hemant Soren had stepped down as Chief Minister in January before he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. He was granted bail last week. The JMM leader has denied all charges. Granting him bail last week, the Jharkhand High Court said there is reason to believe that he is “not guilty of the offence as alleged”.

All is, however, not well. Champai Soren, who had taken over as Chief Minister after Hemant Soren stepped down, is not happy with the decision to replace him, sources have said. Champai Soren, it is learnt, may be named JMM’s executive president.

At the meeting of JMM’s legislature party, Champai Soren said he was feeling “insulted”, the sources said. The party, however, went ahead and named Hemant Soren its legislature party leader.

Champai Soren may submit his resignation to the Governor this evening, setting in motion the process for Hemant Soren to take over.

Leaders of the ruling coalition reached a consensus on Hemant Soren’s return during a meeting at Champai Soren’s residence today. The meeting was attended by Congress’ Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir, state president Rajesh Thakur and Hemant Soren’s wife and MLA Kalpana Soren.

Speculation regarding a change of guard were triggered after all important programmes of Chief Minister Champai Soren were cancelled today.

Elections in Jharkhand are months away and the JMM is looking at fighting the polls with Hemant Soren as its face. But the decision to replace Champai Soren will provide the Opposition BJP with ammunition in the run-up to the polls and strengthen its dynasty narrative.

Setting the tone for the BJP’s offensive, Nishikant Dubey, party MP from Jharkhand’s Godda, said in a social media post that the “Champai Soren era is over in Jharkhand”.

Targeting the JMM, he said, “In the family-oriented party, people outside the family have no political future. I wish the chief minister drew inspiration from Bhagwan Birsa Munda and stood up against the corrupt Hemant Soren ji.”

Champai Soren, 67, is a veteran leader of the JMM and has been with party founder and Hemant Soren’s father Shibu Soren for decades now. Earlier, he was a cabinet minister in the Hemant Soren government.

Ranchi:

Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Saturday alleged that the BJP would loot tribal land and uproot them from forests and coal-bearing areas, if the party is not defeated in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

He said that the BJP government at the Centre attempted to amend various laws that protect tribal rights but the coalition dispensation in the state would be protesting against such attempts.

The CM was delivering his concluding remarks in the state assembly, amid the walk-out of BJP legislators from the House.

The seven-day budget session of the assembly, which started from February 23, was adjourned sine die by Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto. As many as four bills, including an International University Bill, 2024, were passed on the concluding day of the session.

“This budget session highlighted the achievements of the government in past four years. A budget of Rs 1,28,900 crore was passed for the fiscal 2024-25 and the government set a target to make Jharkhand a Rs 10 lakh crore economy by 2029-30,” Mahto said.

The chief minister said that the “BJP government has made amendments in the forest right Act, under which the power of gram sabha has been snatched. Similarly, an attempt is being made to amend the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act and Chotanagpur Tenancy Act”.

“The Centre has planned to strategically drive out tribals from forest, coal-bearing areas and other places through the amendments. If BJP is not defeated in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, tribals will be uprooted from their land,” the CM claimed.

He urged the ruling alliance legislators to make people aware about BJP’s intention.

Soren said that former chief minister Hemant Soren had understood the strategy of the BJP.

“So, he was put in jail on land issue, while his name is not there anywhere,” the CM claimed.

He said the coalition government has worked to strengthen the education, social and economic system of the state so that “roti, kapda and makaan could be ensured for everyone”. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)