“Had to follow orders from prison”: This is how the BJP reacted to the post by former Prime Minister Champai Soren

Champai Soren is former Chief Minister of Jharkhand

Ranchi: The Indian government has enacted its own laws to ensure compliance with the BJP's democratic principles. Jharkhand president Babulal Marandi on Monday reacted to the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and JMM Leader Champai SorenHe released a social media statement and said that Soren's post expressed the pain.

Babulal Marandi, BJP president in Jharkhand, said: “Champai Soren was a revolutionary. His pain is visible in his post. He looks sad and broken inside. His pain is obvious. He was chief minister for a few days and then was removed. This (his post) is just an expression of his pain… And it shows that he was not an independent chief minister, he had to follow orders from prison.”

The 67-year-old JMM veteran was appointed as the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on February 2, just days after his predecessor Hemant Soren resigned shortly before he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged land grabbing case.

Chamapi Soren “felt humiliated”

Champai Soren said he was asked to resign after the release of Hemant Soren in a meeting called after his programmes were cancelled. He asked, “Can there be anything more humiliating in a democracy than when a chief minister's programmes are cancelled by another person?”

He said: “For the first time in my flawless political career of the last four decades, I was broken inside. I did not know what to do. For two days I sat quietly and thought, continuing to search for my fault in the whole incident. I had no desire for power whatsoever, but to whom could I show this blow to my self-respect? Where could I express the pain that my own people had inflicted on me?”

Champai Sören said he was surprised when he was asked to resign and felt it was “a blow to my self-respect”.

“Although the chief minister has the right to call a meeting of the legislative party, I was not even informed of the agenda of the meeting. During the meeting, I was asked to resign. I was surprised, but I had no lust for power and so I resigned immediately. However, my heart was emotional because my self-respect was hurt by this.”

Will Champai Soren join BJP?

When the JMM veteran landed in Delhi on Saturday, it fuelled rumours that he would join the saffron camp. Sources told Times Now that he had meetings planned with BJP leaders and might join the party. But Soren remained tight-lipped, saying he had come on a personal visit.

He had said: “I don't know what rumors are being spread. I don't know what news is being spread, so I can't say whether it is true or not. I don't know anything about it.”

He added, “I have come here for my personal work. Abhi hum jahan par hain vahi par hain.”

The JMM dismissed the reports of Champai Soren joining the BJP as “mere rumours”. JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey called the BJP a “sinking ship” and added that Soren would never consider joining it.

But hours later, Champai Soren's post confirmed that all is not well with the JMM, and Manjhi's post now only suggests that the BJP could capitalise on the rift ahead of the upcoming Jharkhand elections.