Shibu Soren is and will forever remain ‘Bharat Ratna’: Jharkhand CM on Padma Bhushan to father
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday (January 25, 2026) expressed gratitude to the Center for conferring Padma Bhushan on his late father Shibu Soren as his party JMM demanded a Bharat Ratna for the tribal stalwart.
He was among 13 recipients of the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third-highest civilian honour.
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The CM said in a post published on UK’s
“Her entire life is a testament to the great struggle for equality, inclusion and social justice, identity, Adivasi pride, education, women empowerment and the rights and entitlements of the exploited and deprived sections of society,” he said.
Mr. Hemant Soren said that it was precisely this struggle that gave Jharkhand its own state after decades of social and political battles and filled the people with the pride of being true Jharkhandis.
In a statement, the state’s ruling JMM said he should be awarded the Bharat Ratna and not the Padma Bhushan.
He said the demand for Bharat Ratna will continue to increase.
JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey said Soren played a vital role in people’s development.
“He deserved the Bharat Ratna. The Center should give him the Bharat Ratna,” he said.
JMM MP Mahua Maji said she was grateful to the Center for the award but Soren deserved the Bharat Ratna.
Echoing similar sentiments, Congress leader Rajesh Thakur said he was the “strong voice” of the poor and tribals.
“We welcome the Padma Bhushan award but it is painful for all of us not to award him the Bharat Ratna. We demand the Bharat Ratna for him and hope the Center will listen 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.
Welcoming the Centre’s decision, State BJP chief Aditya Sahu said it was an honor for Jharkhand.
Born on January 11, 1944, in Nemra village of Ramgarh district, Soren, popularly known as ‘Dishom Guru’ (leader of the country), is one of the most enduring political figures in the tribal and regional political landscape of the country.
His political life was defined by the constant defense of the rights of tribes.
According to Soren’s family, his early life was marked by personal tragedies and profound socio-economic struggles.
He was 15 years old when his father, Shobaran Soren, was allegedly killed by loan sharks in the Lukaiyatand forest. This left a deep impression on him and became the catalyst for his future political activism.
In 1973, Soren founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) along with Bengali Marxist trade unionist AK Roy and Kurmi-Mahto leader Binod Bihari Mahto.
JMM soon became the primary political voice for the demand for a separate tribal state and gained support in Chotanagpur and Santhal Pargana districts. It is said that Soren’s grassroots mobilization against feudal exploitation turned him into a tribal icon.
The demand for a separate State was finally fulfilled with the separation of Jharkhand from Bihar on 15 November 2000.
Soren’s influence was not limited to State politics. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for eight terms and once to the Rajya Sabha.
A key figure in the Congress-led UPA Government, he served as coal minister for several terms between 2004 and 2006. But his ministerial duties at the Center have been overshadowed by serious legal challenges.
In July 2004, an arrest warrant was issued for 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 some time in judicial custody, he was released on bail in September 2004 and was re-inducted into the Union Cabinet in November. In March 2008, a court acquitted him of all charges.
His legal troubles did not end there. On 28 November 2006, Soren was among those convicted in the 1994 kidnapping and murder of his former private secretary Shashinath Jha.
CBI alleged that Jha was killed in Ranchi due to his knowledge of the political gain deal between the Congress and JMM during the no-confidence motion against the Narasimha Rao Government in 1993.
The case received nationwide attention, but Soren later successfully appealed the conviction. The Supreme Court upheld Soren’s acquittal in the case in April 2018.
Despite these controversies, Soren remained an important figure in Jharkhand’s political sphere.
He served as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand three times: for just 10 days in March 2005, from 27 August 2008 to 12 January 2009, and from 30 December 2009 to 31 May 2010. Each period was short-lived due to the fragile nature of coalition politics of the time.
In June 2007, Soren survived an assassination attempt when a bomb was dropped on his convoy near Dumaria village in Deoghar district.
It was published – 26 January 2026 12:45 IST
