Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) MLA from the Jama constituency, Sita Soren, resigned from the party and all her posts on Tuesday, citing “continuous neglect” towards her family and herself. Soon after, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In her resignation letter addressed to Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, Sita expressed sadness over the neglect her family faced since the passing of her late husband, Durga Soren, a prominent figure in the Jharkhand movement. Sita mentioned feeling isolated by both the party and family members, despite her hopes for improvement.
“Since the demise of my late husband Durga Soren, who was a leading warrior of the Jharkhand movement and a great revolutionary, I and my family have been victims of continuous neglect. We have been isolated by the party and family members, which has been extremely painful for me. I had hoped that the situation would improve with time, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen,” Sita wrote.
Sita’s resignation coincides with the recent arrest of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on money laundering charges, occurring just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and state assembly polls.
Who is Sita Soren?
Sita Soren is a three-time MLA from Jama constituency, daughter-in-law of JMM founder Shibu Soren, and sister-in-law of Hemant Soren. She was married to Durga Soren, the elder brother of Hemant Soren and the eldest son of Shibu Soren. Durga passed away in 2009 at the age of 39. They shared three daughters, Rajshree, Jayshree, and Vijayshree.
In her resignation letter, Sita mentioned how her husband had worked for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha with great dedication and sacrifice. “The party has now fallen into the hands of those whose vision and objectives do not match our values and ideals. Despite the tireless efforts of Shri Shibu Soren (Guruji Baba) who worked hard to keep us all together, unfortunately, his efforts also failed. I have recently come to know that there is a deep-rooted conspiracy against me and my family also,” Sita cited.
Political Journey
Sita Soren began her political journey in 2009 when she was elected as an MLA from the Jama constituency in Jharkhand. Following her election, she was appointed as the National General Secretary of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. She continued her political career by winning the MLA election for the third time in 2019 from the Jama constituency in Jharkhand.
Case against Sita Soren
Sita’s resignation follows a recent Supreme Court ruling overturning a 1998 judgment, allowing MPs and MLAs accused of taking bribes for votes to be prosecuted. She faces trial for allegedly accepting a bribe from an Independent candidate during the 2012 Rajya Sabha elections, with a judgment expected soon. Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren was also implicated in the case.
Relation with Hemant’s wife Kalpana
Following Hemant Soren’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in February, Sita strongly opposed any move to make his wife Kalpana Soren the Chief Minister of the state and questioned the circumstances under which her name is being considered for the position.
“I would like to ask why only Kalpana Soren, who is not even an MLA and has no political experience. Under what circumstances her name is doing the rounds as the next chief minister when there are so many senior leaders in the party. If they want to elect from the family, I am the seniormost and have been an MLA for around 14 years,” she stated.
(With inputs from PTI)
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