Jharkhand chief minister and JMM executive president Hemant Soren continued his silence on party veteran leader and former chief minister Champai Soren decision to join BJP with subtle hints that “people will decide if there has been a shortcoming in their government”.

Champai Soren resigned from all posts of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). He also resigned as an MLA of the state Assembly and a minister in the Jharkhand cabinet.

Jharkhand, which is poised to witness Assembly polls later this year, had a political upheaval with Champai Soren who was the chief minister of the state after Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in January over alleged money laundering charges and had to be in judicial custody for five months, announcement on Tuesday of joining the BJP on August 30 along with his son Babulal Soren.

Hemant Soren, who addressed a public function to mark the disbursement of monthly assistance to women beneficiaries of a new government scheme of providing ₹1,000 monthly for eligible women beneficiaries between 21 and 50 years, at Gamharia under the Seraikela Assembly segment, the home constituency of Champai Soren, on Wednesday did not utter a single word about Champai Soren.

When asked by reporters about the decision of senior JMM leader, Hemant Soren only said: “People of the state will decide if there has been any shortcoming in our government.”

In his 30-minute address, Hemant Soren repeated his allegation against the saffron party for dividing people on the lines of religion and caste for electoral gains.

“The BJP has been conspiring to topple the elected government in Jharkhand from the very day of our government formation (December 2019) using federal agencies and money power to lure MLAs. Since they lack a credible local face they have brought leaders from MP and Assam to spread poison in the society before elections in the name of religion and caste aiming to reap political gain,” alleged Hemant Soren who is leading a JMM-Congress-RJD coalition government in Jharkhand.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is BJP’s co-in-charge of Jharkhand Assembly polls while Union minister and former MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the BJP’s in-charge of the state’s Assembly polls.

The BJP has been raising the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators to create a narrative that ghuspetiyes are changing the demography of tribal belts in the Santhal Pargana.

Champai Soren returned to Ranchi from Delhi on Wednesday evening.

Asked about the allegation that he is under “surveillance”, Champai Soren said he is not afraid of any situation and has lodged a police complaint.

He asserted that he is joining the BJP to save tribal identity and existence, which is at stake in the state’s Santhal Pargana region due to “rampant infiltration from Bangladesh”. A week ago he announced that he was leaving JMM over the “bitter humiliation” faced in the manner in which he was asked to resign from the chief minister post after Hemant Soren was released on bail.

“Only the BJP seems serious on this issue and other parties are ignoring it for the sake of vote bank politics. Therefore, in this struggle to save the identity and existence of the tribals, I have decided to join the BJP, expressing faith in the leadership of the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah,” Champai Soren said.

Earlier, in the day, Himanta Biswa Sarma had informed media in Delhi that Champai Soren has filed a case in Delhi police against two sub-inspectors of Jharkhand police special branch for following him. He also alleged that the cops took a room in the same hotel where Champai stayed and were taking his photographs.

Sarma further claimed that both sub-inspectors of Jharkhand police were taken away by Delhi police after the complaint.