Under CBI cloud, miffed by Kalpana Soren rise, JMM chief’s other daughter-in-law joins BJP: Who is Sita Soren

Hemant Soren as the next leader.

Hemant was forced to step down as the Chief Minister on January 31 this year after he was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He has been in jail now.

Its succession trouble has now returned to haunt the Soren family, with Sita now charging that she has been a victim of “continuous neglect” and had been “isolated by the party and family members”.

A JMM insider said Sita was “perturbed” by the growing popularity of her sister-in-law Kalpana Murmu Soren, Hemant’s wife, who had emerged as one of the CM contenders ahead of Hemant’s resignation. Sita had then vehemently opposed Kalpana’s CM aspiration. Both Sita and Kalpana hail from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.

“As Kalpana’s popularity is growing, so does her acceptance within the party ranks. And it is assumed as one of the reasons why Sita took such a call. In the party she would be a minister at best if the ruling JMM gets a renewed mandate in the coming Assembly elections,” said a JMM insider.

Sita had been at loggerheads with the Hemant dispensation. In August 2022, she had flagged “rising corruption” in the state, alleging that the then Hemant-led coalition government had remained “ineffective in curbing loot of the land”.

The JMM however rejects her allegations, with the party leaders saying that Sita has been accorded “respect” pointing out that she has been a three-time legislator from Dumka’s Jama seat represented by Durga earlier.

JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey told The Indian Express: “One cannot undermine the popularity of someone (Kalpana), but Sita ji was well-respected. We didn’t understand the reason behind her resignation. I don’t know what pressure she is under. There is a CBI case in which trial is undergoing, and it may be because of this she made the move.”

Pandey was referring to the CBI case against Sita, in which she was accused of allegedly accepting bribe from an Independent candidate in the 2012 Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand.

Significantly, it was Sita’s plea for immunity from prosecution on which the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench recently pronounced a landmark judgment, overturning the SC’s 1998 verdict – in the JMM bribery case involving Shibu Soren as one of the accused – to rule that the MPs and MLAs who take bribes to vote or speak in a certain manner in the House are not immune from prosecution.

In 2012, it was alleged by then Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajantantrik) president and MP Babulal Marandi, who is now the state BJP chief, to the Election Commission (EC) that the Rajya Sabha election was “influenced by the money power”.

Sunil Tiwari, Marandi’s political advisor, told The Indian Express: “We had received information that some MLAs of the JVM(P) were lured by prospective candidates for money. JVM(P) had 11 MLAs and the party may not have survived due to cross-voting. This led to a complaint by Marandi ji which in turn led to Rs 2.5 crore seizure with CBI starting the investigation. It is the case in which Sita Soren became an accused. She later filed a plea for immunity which became the basis for the SC’s recent judgment.”

According to the court records, a charge sheet was filed by the CBI against Sita Soren on June 3, 2013 under the IPC Sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) and 171 (E) (bribery) and under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It was alleged that she took the bribe although she did not vote in favour of the Independent candidate. In the same case, a key witness Vikas Pandey was kidnapped. It was alleged that this was done at Sita’s behest, and a kidnapping case was also registered. This case was also investigated by the CBI. The trial has been continuing in both the cases in a Ranchi court.

A JMM leader attributed Sita’s Tuesday move to these two cases. “Sita Soren joined the BJP because she may be convicted in the bribery and kidnapping cases and she doesn’t want to take any chances.”

He also said that Sita has not been a political heavyweight.

“In the 2019 Assembly elections, Hemant had to campaign several times in Jama to make Sita win.”

In 2021, Sita’s two daughters had floated an organisation “Durga Soren Sena”, an apolitical social organisation for taking up the issues of land, water and forest. “It is not popular in Jharkhand,” the JMM leader said.

A BJP insider however rejected this assessment, saying “In Dumka people know Shibu Soren and late Durga Soren. We will capitalise on this and the poor treatment meted out to Sita Soren”.

While joining the BJP in Delhi, Sita said she was leaving the JMM family and joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s family. She said: “I too have my own struggles… My father-in-law and late husband dreamt of a developed Jharkhand. Many people sacrificed for Jharkhand, but the tribals have remained marginalised. The state is mineral rich, but still people are resorting to distress migration. This is why I have joined Modi ji’s family. Jharkhand ko jhukayenge nahi, Jharkhand ko bachayenge (Will not let Jharkhand down, but will save it). The lotus will bloom in all 14 Lok Sabha seats of Jharkhand (in the upcoming polls).”