Befitting reply will be given to forces who put Hemant Soren in jail: Kalpana

Ranchi: Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former chief minister Hemant Soren, on Monday said Jharkhand will give a befitting reply to forces who put her husband behind the bars.

Beginning her political journey at the 51st foundation day celebration of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in Giridih district, Kalpana claimed that a conspiracy had been orchestrated by opponents ever since the Hemant Soren coalition government came to power in 2019.

Kalpana began her inaugural political speech with tears in her eyes, expressing her emotions to the crowd. "I had intended to hold back my tears, but in witnessing your love and support, I found myself unable to contain them. Today, I am being infused with a level of strength that surpasses even my wildest dreams," she said.

In an indirect attack on the Centre, Kalpana said, "They hatched such a big conspiracy due to which Hemant Soren had to go to jail. People who sit in Delhi do not have heart. They consider tribal, dalit and minority as insects and think that they can do anything with them." She asked what was the crime of former chief minister. "Is it a crime to seek Jharkhand’s Rs 1.36 lakh-crore from Centre, or passing a Bill in the assembly seeking 27 per cent reservation for OBCs? Is it a crime to ask for a separate Sarna religion code, ensuring domicile policy for local people, waiving farmers’ loan or bringing back labourers from other states by airplane, buses and trains?" she asked.

Without taking the name of any party, she alleged that they had the intention to topple the government.

"We were able to thwart their plans this time thanks to the dedication and high spirits of our legislators. In the future, we must demonstrate through our votes that 'Jharkhand Jhukega Nahi' (Jharkhand will not bow) and 'Jharkhandi Jhukega Nahi' (The people of Jharkhand will not bow)," she declared.

She further added, "They (hinting at BJP) started hatching conspiracy since the Hemant Soren-led coalition government came to power in 2019. They finally put him in jail but they do not know Hemant Soren lives in the hearts of people in Jharkhand." "They have played with self-respect of every people of Jharkhand by putting him in jail. Befitting reply will be given to them in coming days," Kalpana said.

Before beginning her political journey, Kalpana offered prayers at Dishom Jaher Sthan, a tribal religious place, on foothills of Parasanth hills in Giridih.

Kalpana, who holds an MTech and MBA, completed her schooling in Baripada, Odisha, and pursued her engineering and MBA degrees from institutions in Bhubaneswar.

JMM executive president Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land fraud, subsequent to his resignation as chief minister.