"This is the saddest of the state affairs": BJP leader Pratul Shah Deo on Champai Soren
Aug 18, 2024
Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 19 : Following a social media post by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, in which he expressed his bitter experiences within the party during his tenure, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pratul Shah Deo commented, "This is the saddest state of affairs."
Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Deo said that the former Chief Minister has exposed "what goes on inside the JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), and the way they act is very shocking."
He further stated, "The way they cunningly demean and humiliate a tribal leader who is not part of the [Hemant] Soren family is appalling."
"In his post, Champai Soren mentioned that when Hemant Soren was released from jail while Champai Soren was still the Chief Minister, he was asked not to attend any government functions for two days. Now, who can have a higher constitutional authority than the Chief Minister of the state?" Deo added.
Deo also mentioned that Champai Soren "was informed that a meeting of the legislative party was summoned--a rightfully his--where he was forced to resign, and Hemant Soren was installed as the Chief Minister."
He further criticised the JMM for humiliating "a tribal leader of the stature of a Chief Minister simply because he was not part of the Hemant family."
"This is the saddest state of affairs, and we are confident that the tribals of Jharkhand and its citizens will vote against the JMM to bring justice to Champai Soren," he said.
Earlier on Sunday, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren stated that he felt "insulted" during his tenure and that "all options are open" for him until the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly polls.
He cited various instances where he was not allowed to convene a meeting of the legislative party and was suddenly asked to resign, prompting him "to seek an alternative path."
In a lengthy post on X, Champai Soren emphasized that he has always engaged in politics with the public's concerns in mind, from advocating for workers against industrial houses early in his career to supporting the Jharkhand movement.
"Recently, after Hal Diwas, I learned that the party leadership had postponed all my programs for the next two days. One was a public event in Dumka, and the other was the distribution of appointment letters to PGT teachers. When I inquired, I was informed that a meeting of the legislative party had been called by the coalition on July 3, and until then, I could not attend any programs as CM," Soren said.
"Is there anything more humiliating in a democracy than having a Chief Minister's programs cancelled by someone else?" he questioned, listing the bitter experiences he faced during his tenure.