Shibu Soren is and will forever remain 'Bharat Ratna': Jharkhand CM on Padma Bhushan to father

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday expressed gratitude to the Centre for conferring the Padma Bhushan on his late father Shibu Soren, as his party, the JMM, demanded a Bharat Ratna for the tribal stalwart.

He was among 13 people named for the Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilian honour.

"In the hearts and minds of the people of Jharkhand, and from Ladakh to Kerala, from Rajasthan to Assam, among the tribal communities across the country, late Baba Dishom Guru Shibu Soren ji - the true son of Mother India- is, has been, and will forever remain a Bharat Ratna," the CM said in a post on X from UK.

"His entire life stands as a testament to the grand struggle for equality, inclusivity and social justice, identity, Adivasi pride, education, women's empowerment, and the rights and entitlements of the exploited and deprived sections of society,” he said.

Soren said it was this very struggle that, after decades of social and political battles, secured Jharkhand its own state and filled the people with pride in being true Jharkhandis.

In a statement, the state's ruling JMM said he should have been conferred with Bharat Ratna, and not Padma Bhushan.

It said the demand for Bharat Ratna for him would continue to be raised.

JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey said Soren played a vital role in the upliftment of people.

"He deserved Bharat Ratna. The Centre should award him Bharat Ratna," he said.

JMM MP Mahua Maji said she was grateful to the Centre for the award, but Soren deserved Bharat Ratna.

Echoing similar sentiments, Congress leader Rajesh Thakur said he was a "strong voice" of the poor and tribals.

"We welcome the Padma Bhushan award, but not giving him Bharat Ratna is painful for all of us. We demand Bharat Ratna for him and hope that the Centre will pay heed to our sentiments," he said.

The death of the 81-year-old leader in August last year marked the end of an era in the state's political arena.

Hailing the Centre's decision, state BJP president Aditya Sahu said it was an honour for Jharkhand.

Born on January 11, 1944, in Ramgarh district's Nemra village, Soren, popularly known as 'Dishom Guru' (leader of the land), is one of the most enduring political figures in the country's tribal and regional political landscape.

His political life was defined by continuous advocacy for the rights of tribals.

According to Soren's family, his early life was marked by personal tragedy and deep socio-economic struggles.

He was 15 years old when his father, Shobaran Soren, was allegedly killed by moneylenders in the Lukaiyatand forest. This left a deep impact on him and became a catalyst for his future political activism.

In 1973, Soren co-founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) along with Bengali Marxist trade unionist AK Roy and Kurmi-Mahto leader Binod Bihari Mahto.

The JMM soon became the primary political voice for the demand for a separate tribal state and got support across the Chotanagpur and Santhal Pargana regions. Soren's grassroots mobilisation against feudal exploitation is said to have shaped him into a tribal icon.

The demand for a separate state was finally fulfilled as Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000.

Soren's influence was not confined to state politics. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for eight terms, and to the Rajya Sabha once.

As a key figure in the Congress-led UPA government, he served as the coal minister for several terms between 2004 and 2006. However, his ministerial stints at the Centre were overshadowed by serious legal challenges.

In July 2004, an arrest warrant was issued against him in connection with the 1975 Chirudih massacre case, in which he was named the main accused in the killing of 11 people. He went underground briefly before being arrested.

After spending time in judicial custody, he was granted bail in September 2004 and re-inducted into the Union Cabinet in November. A court in March 2008 absolved him of all charges.

His legal woes didn't end there. On November 28, 2006, Soren was among those convicted in the 1994 kidnapping and murder of his former personal secretary, Shashinath Jha.

The CBI alleged that Jha was murdered in Ranchi because he possessed knowledge about a political payoff deal between the Congress and JMM during a no-confidence motion against the Narasimha Rao government in 1993.

The case drew nationwide attention, though Soren later successfully appealed the conviction. The Supreme Court in April 2018 upheld Soren's acquittal in the case.

Despite these controversies, Soren remained a towering figure in Jharkhand's political sphere.

He served as the chief minister of Jharkhand three times -- in March 2005 for just 10 days, August 27, 2008 to January 12, 2009, and from December 30, 2009 to May 31, 2010. Each term was short-lived due to the fragile nature of coalition politics of the time.

In June 2007, Soren survived an assassination attempt when bombs were hurled at his convoy near Dumaria village in Deoghar district.