JHARKHAND: Amid speculation that Chief Minister Hemant Soren may project his wife Kalpana Soren as the new CM face in Jharkhand, Sita Soren, his sister in law and wife of his brother late Durga Soren, is not happy with the decision. This development comes ahead of the chief minister's scheduled questioning on Wednesday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged land fraud case.
After the name of Kalpana Soren surfaced as the new CM face, Sita Soren, a JMM MLA from Jama Assembly seat, has started opposing the move.
Significantly, Sita Soren was also not present at the meetings with ruling alliance MLAs held at Hemant Soren's Ranchi residence on Tuesday. She said she would not attend the meeting on Wednesday either.
She said that she is not against the meeting and has always been a supporter of unity in the party, but will oppose any potential decision to make Kalpana Soren the Chief Minister.
During the Tuesday meeting, the ruling alliance MLAs were reportedly made to sign a 'consent letter' that may be used in case of a political crisis if CM Soren were to be arrested or be forced to resign.
According to Sita Soren, her husband late Durga Soren had contributed a lot to the party along with his father and JMM patriarch Shibu Soren. She added that after the demise of her husband, she too sacrificed a lot for the party. “Why should I always give up?" Sita asked. "I accepted the decision of making Hemant Soren as Chief Minister but I will not accept Kalpana Soren in any way,” Sita Soren was quoted as saying.
Sita added that had she not been in politics, she would not have been able to stand up for her rights. She also said she has been expecting some reward after the 2019 elections but was "completely ignored."
Sita Soren also questioned why her two daughters were not receiving the blessings of Chief Minister Hemant Soren despite the fact that they were now grown up.
- By Mukesh Ranjan
