Champai Soren will join BJP on August 30. (FILE)
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has come down heavily on the BJP for using its "old tactic of poaching" legislators of ruling parties. Mr Soren's criticism was over the "poaching" of his predecessor Champai Soren, who joined the BJP yesterday as he felt "slighted" by Jharkhand's ruling party JMM after he stepped down.
In a late-night post, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma - also the BJP's Jharkhand election in-charge - confirmed the buzz on Mr Soren's switchover.
"Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and a distinguished Adivasi leader of our country, Champai Soren met Union Home Minister Amit Shah a short while ago. He will officially join the BJP on 30th August in Ranchi," the Assam Chief Minister posted on X.
Hemant Soren said the BJP will get a "befitting reply from people" in the upcoming assembly polls in Jharkhand.
He also accused the party of "again starting its 'sarkar todo abhiyan' and 'vidhayak todo abhiyan' (break the government and poach the MLAs campaign) as it did during the Lok Sabha elections".
Champai Soren was made the chief minister of Jharkhand in February this year following the arrest of the then-chief minister Heman Soren by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case.
But, he had to step down just five months later to enable Hemant Soren to come back at the helm after he was granted bail in the case in June.
Mr Soren later claimed that he faced "humiliation at the hands of the leaders of JMM". He made some shocking revelations on how he was slighted and subjected to ridicule in the party in a post on X, and what made him "dissociate" from party affairs to chart his own course.
"The Chief Minister has the mandate to call a legislative party meeting but the irony is that I wasn't even aware of the agenda of the meeting despite being at the helm. I was directed to submit my resignation (after Hemant Soren's release from jail). I was aghast and shocked at such a directive coming from people with no authority. As I didn't have any attachment to the chair, I quickly tendered my resignation," Champai Soren said.
Recently, Mr Soren suggested that he might float a new political outfit after declaring he "will not quit politics".
However, his recent visits to Delhi - twice in 10 days - sparked speculation of him switching sides to the BJP.
Clarifying his move, he said today, "Initially, I thought of taking retirement, but later witnessing the enthusiasm of workers and the public, I thought of being actively involved in politics. Later, I also thought of forming a new organization, but due to time constraints and the unique dynamics in Jharkhand, I decided to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after much contemplation."
He said that his son Babu Lal Soren will join the BJP along with him on August 30.