Commenting on media reports of rift in JMM and Champai Soren leaving the party and joining BJP, the senior leader said, “After so much humiliation and contempt, I was forced to look for an alternative way. With a heavy heart, I said in the legislative party meeting that – ‘A new chapter of my life is going to start from today.’ I had three options in this. First, I should retire from politics, second, I should form my own separate organization and third, if I find a companion on this path, I should travel further with him. From that day till today and till the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, all options are open for me in this journey.”
In another post, Champai reiterated that he had no intention to harm the JMM: “One more thing, this is my personal conflict, so I have no intention to involve any party member in it or cause any harm to the organisation. We can never think of harming the party which we have nurtured with our blood and sweat.”
Full text of Champai Soren’s post on X:
“Johar friends, after watching the news today, many questions must be arising in your mind. What happened that brought the son of a poor farmer living in a small village of Kolhan to this position. From raising the voice of workers against industrial houses in the beginning of my public life to the Jharkhand movement, I have always done politics of public concern. I have been trying to get the tribals, natives, poor, laborers, students and backward class people of the state their rights. Whether I was in any post or not, I was always available among the public, raising the issues of those who dreamed of a better future with the state of Jharkhand. Meanwhile, after an unprecedented development on January 31, Bharat Alliance chose me to serve the state as the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand. From the first day of my tenure to the last day (July 3), I discharged my duties towards the state with full loyalty and dedication. During this time we took many decisions in public interest and as always, I was always available for everyone. Attention to the elderly, women, youth, students and every section of the society and every person of the state. The people of the state will evaluate the decisions we took by keeping the Chief Minister in power. When I came to power, I paid tribute to heroes like Baba Tilka Manjhi, Bhagwan Birsa Munda and Sido-Kanhu and took a pledge to serve the state. Every child in Jharkhand knows that during my tenure, I never did anything wrong to anyone nor did I let anything wrong happen to anyone. Meanwhile, the day after Hul Diwas, I came to know that the party leadership has postponed all my programs for the next two days. One of these was a public program in Dumka, while the other was to distribute appointment letters to PGT teachers. On asking, I came to know that the coalition has called a meeting of the legislative party on July 3, till then you cannot attend any program as CM. Can there be anything more humiliating in democracy than a Chief Minister’s program being cancelled by another person? Despite swallowing this bitter pill of insult, I said that the appointment letters will be distributed in the morning, while there will be a meeting of the legislative party in the afternoon, so I will join it from there. But, I was clearly refused from there. For the first time in my spotless political journey of the last four decades, I was broken from within. I did not understand what to do. For two days, I sat quietly and kept introspecting, kept looking for my fault in the entire incident. I had no greed for power at all, but to whom could I show this blow to my self-respect? Where could I express the pain caused by my own people? When the party’s central executive meeting has not been held for years, and unilateral orders are passed, to whom should I go and tell my problem? I am counted among the senior members in this party, all the others are juniors, and the supremo senior to me is no longer active in politics due to health, so what option did I have? If he had been active, perhaps the situation would have been different. Although the Chief Minister has the right to call a meeting of the legislative party, but I was not even told the agenda of the meeting. During the meeting, I was asked to resign. I was surprised, but I had no greed for power, so I immediately resigned, but the blow to my self-respect made me emotional. I was so emotional because of the humiliating behaviour I was facing for the last three days that I was trying to hold back my tears, but they were only interested in the chair. I felt as if I had no existence, no existence in that party for which I had dedicated my entire life. In the meantime, many such humiliating incidents happened, which I do not want to mention right now. insult And due to the disdain, I was forced to look for an alternative path. With a heavy heart, I said in the same meeting of the legislative party that – “A new chapter of my life is going to start from today.” I had three options in this. First, to retire from politics, second, to form my own separate organization and third, if I find a companion on this path, then to travel further with him. From that day till today and till the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, all options are open for me in this journey. Yours, Champai Soren”
