Former Jharkhand chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren on Friday joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi. On Wednesday he resigned from the JMM, claiming that the JMM’s “present style of functioning and policies” forced him to leave the party he served for many years. He also resigned as an MLA of the state assembly and a minister in the Jharkhand Cabinet.
In a letter to party supremo Shibu Soren, the senior tribal leader said he was forced to quit after being aggrieved by the present style of functioning of the JMM and its policies. “I have never ever imagined in my dreams that I would quit JMM, a party which is like a family to me… The turn of events of the past forced me to take this decision with much pain… I am pained to say that the party has deviated from its principle,” he said in the letter. He lamented that there is no forum in the party left to express one’s pain and “you (Shibu Soren) are not active in politics due to ill health but you will continue to be my guide,” he said.
Champai Soren became the chief minister of Jharkhand on February 2, shortly after Hemant Soren resigned as the CM following his arrest by the ED in a money laundering case. Champai quit the post and Hemant took oath as the CM again in July, after he was released on bail.
