Kalpana Soren has emerged as JMM's new face after her husband Hemant Soren was arrested (File)
Kalpana Soren, the wife of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, said her husband's arrest was unexpected and triggered a shock in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the family.
In an exclusive interview with news agency PTI, Kalpana Soren said it is not in the DNA of tribals to bow and Hemant Soren will emerge stronger.
"We have full faith in the judiciary and are waiting for Hemant to come out on bail and campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. He is innocent and has been trapped in a conspiracy by the BJP-led government at the Centre," she said.
Kalpana Soren, who has emerged as the party's new face, alleged that the BJP "is a tyrannical force that is hell-bent on oppressing the Opposition."
"How will the Constitution be saved when you are arresting Opposition leaders who are working for the poor, tribals, and the Dalits? They (BJP) only tell lies. The BJP's '400+' slogan pushed the temperature here above 400 degrees. People of Jharkhand are seething in anger against the BJP government and will throw out this tyrannical force which is looting its rich mineral resources," she added.
On her husband languishing in jail for over 90 days now, Ms Soren said, "I have a question - why does all Enforcement Directorate (ED) action take place only in Opposition-ruled states? And if they take any action in the BJP-ruled states, it is immediately stopped. In the case of Hemant Soren, there is no evidence, no fact. It is purely a part of a conspiracy."
"I meet Hemant in jail once a week. But that one meeting is enough to boost my morale and strength. This (election) is a battle through which we have to take Jharkhand forward," she added.
Kalpana Soren, 48, credited with infusing a new vigour into the JMM ranks after Hemant Soren's arrest earlier this year, said politics has never been her choice but circumstances thrust her into it.
"The situation changed drastically after January 31 when my husband was arrested by the ED. After that, party workers and leaders urged me to come forward. On seeing their love for their leader, I thought it was my moral responsibility to fill the gap till Hemant returned," she said.
Ms Soren filed her nomination as the JMM candidate for the Gandey assembly bypoll on April 29. Voting for the seat is scheduled on May 20 along with the parliamentary elections in the state.
The seat in Giridih district fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.
About the alleged rift in the family, she said, "There is full unity. Hemant ji's brother was there during my nomination for Gandey bypoll on April 29."
On her sister-in-law Sita Soren quitting the party, she said, "It was her decision to part ways with JMM and my best wishes are always with her."
"I will fight against injustice and dictatorial forces as bowing is not in tribal DNA. I will follow in my husband's footsteps. He chose to court imprisonment rather than compromise his values. I am his better half and will see to it that tyrannical forces get a befitting reply," she said.
"My husband's arrest by the ED was politically motivated and part of a plan to coerce him to join the BJP. His arrest is part of a plan by the central government to browbeat, intimidate, and humiliate him but they will get a befitting reply in the elections," she said.
"I think BJP has taken the contract to spread lies. This 'jumlebaaz' government only knows how to tell lies. When they won the polls in 2014, they made big promises but forgot them all and didn't care to think about Jharkhand," she added.
A homemaker with MTech and MBA qualifications, Kalpana Soren completed her schooling from Baripada in Odisha's Mayurbhanj and obtained her engineering and MBA degrees in Bhubaneswar.
Her political journey began at the 51st foundation day celebration of the JMM on March 4, when she claimed that a conspiracy was orchestrated by her opponents ever since the Hemant Soren-led coalition government came to power in 2019.
Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam on January 31.
Speculations regarding Kalpana Soren's candidacy arose following the resignation of Mr Ahmad in December, with the BJP claiming it was to facilitate her candidature in case the ED summoned her husband.
Hemant Soren had, however, dismissed rumours of his wife contesting from Gandey, calling it BJP's fabrication.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)