Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep condolences on the death of veteran tribal leader and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, describing him as a public servant par excellence who never swerved from his commitment to marginalized communities throughout his life.
Soren's death was announced on Monday by his son and present Jharkhand Chief Minister, Hemant Soren. The patriarch who founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Shibu Soren, died at 81 in a Delhi hospital following a long illness.
PM Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Shri Shibu Soren Ji was a people's leader who achieved prominence in public life through unrelenting commitment to the people. He was specially dedicated to uplifting tribal communities, the poor and downtrodden.
He further stated, "Pained by his passing away. My condolences to his family and fans. Spoke to Jharkhand CM Shri Hemant Soren Ji and offered condolences. Om Shanti."
Chief Minister Hemant Soren, grieving the death of his father, wrote in Hindi: "Respected Guru Dishom has left us all. Today, I have become empty…"
As per Sri Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, where Soren has been undergoing treatment for more than a month, the veteran leader had been struggling with kidney-related issues and had even had a stroke some six weeks back. He was kept on life support for the last month. The hospital added that his treatment was under the supervision of Dr. A.K. Bhalla, Chairman of Nephrology, with coordination from neurology and critical care experts.
Popularly known as “Guruji” or “Dishom Guru” in his home state, Soren was a towering figure in Jharkhand politics and served three terms as Chief Minister—first in 2005, then from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2009 to 2010. Despite his repeated return to power, his chief ministerial stints were often brief due to political instability.
Born on 11th January 1944 in Nemra village, which was then in Bihar but is now in the state of Jharkhand, Shibu Soren hailed from the Santhal tribe. He set up the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh, an organization to assert tribal rights and fight for land justice, when he was only 18 years old.
He co-founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in 1972 along with A.K. Roy and Binod Bihari Mahato and became a key figure in the movement for a separate Jharkhand state. He later became the General Secretary of the JMM and spearheaded the party's drive for tribal empowerment and regional autonomy.
Soren was one of the pivotal architects of the movement that led to Jharkhand's creation in 2000. In a political life that spanned more than four decades, he was elected to the Lok Sabha eight times and served two consecutive terms in the Rajya Sabha—the second of which was still on when he died.
His memory as a tribal rights activist and one of the key voices supporting the establishment of Jharkhand continues to be firmly ingrained in the state and national political history.
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