Jharkhand Chief Minister mother, Rupi Soren, breathed her last at a private hospital on Wednesday evening. She was 80 years old. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s official X account released a statement paying tribute to her, calling her a symbol of “struggle, sacrifice, and patience.”
The wife of , founder of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, had been hospitalised since September 18 with breathing difficulty. However, her health deteriorated, and she was put on ventilator support earlier in the day.
“CM Hemant Soren’s mother Rupi Soren, who was admitted here, passed away around 8.30 pm. She was admitted to the hospital on September 18 with breathing difficulty,” Director of Hill View Hospital and Research Centre, Dr Nitesh Priya, told PTI.
Hemant Soren penned an emotional tribute to his mother on social media, calling her his ‘greatest shelter.’
“After Baba left, Maa was my greatest shelter. Today, even that shelter has merged into the lap of nature. Maa…,” he wrote.
The last rites of Rupi Soren will be held at Nemra in neighbouring Ramgarh district on Thursday.
Tributes have poured in for Rupi Soren from across the political fraternity.
Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar condoled her death, saying, “In this hour of grief, my deepest condolences are with the chief minister and his entire family. May God grant strength to the bereaved family to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti!”
BJP leader and former CM Champai Soren, who was a close aide of Shibu Soren, condoled Rupi Soren’s death.
“The sad news of the passing of Smt. Rupi Soren ji, wife of the late Shibu Soren ji has left my heart in pain. Many events and memories from the time of the Jharkhand movement are flashing before my eyes. May Marang Buru (the supreme tribal deity) grant peace to the departed soul and give strength to the family,” Champai Soren said in a social media post.
Union Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth, said, “May Marang Buru give place to the pious soul in his abode and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this grief. May the Lord grant her salvation.”
“The news of the passing of the mother of Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji has left me deeply distressed. In this hour of grief, our condolences are with the bereaved family,” Babulal Marandi, leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, said in a social media post.
“May the Lord grant a place at His holy feet to the departed soul and bestow upon the grief-stricken family the strength to bear this immense sorrow,” Marandi said.
BJP leader and former CM Raghubar Das also condoled her death, saying it was a personal loss for him.
“I am deeply grieved and stunned by the news of the passing of Smt. Rupi Soren ji, the revered mother of Chief Minister Shri Hemant Soren ji and the wife of the late Guru Shibu Soren ji,” Das said in a social media post.
“The departure of Rupi aunty is a personal loss for me. The affection she bestowed upon me like a son will forever remind me of her. She was the very embodiment of maternal love. May the Lord grant her eternal liberation,” he added.
The Jharkhand unit of the Congress expressed deep grief over the demise of the chief minister’s mother.
“The news of the demise of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren ji’s mother is extremely sad and heart-wrenching,” the party said in a statement.
Former Congress state president Rajesh Thakur said, “The news of the demise of Smt. Rupi Soren ji, the mother who gave birth to Jharkhand’s illustrious Chief Minister Shri Hemant Soren ji, is extremely heartbreaking.”
“May God grant her a place at His sacred feet and bestow strength upon her son Shri @HemantSorenJMM ji, Shri @BasantSorenMLA ji, daughter-in-law Smt. @JMMKalpanaSoren ji, along with the entire bereaved family and well-wishers to bear this sorrow,” he added.
Rupi Soren entered electoral politics in 1999 when she contested the Dumka Lok Sabha seat, which was then part of undivided Bihar. She was defeated by senior BJP leader Babulal Marandi by a margin of fewer than 5,000 votes.
Following that election, Soren stayed away from electoral politics and focused on looking after her husband until his death in August last year.
Earlier this year, she represented her late husband at the Padma Bhushan award ceremony, where he was honoured posthumously at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
In an emotional gesture during the ceremony, President Droupadi Murmu came down from the stage to personally present the award to Soren, who attended the event in a wheelchair.
Soren was also present at the swearing-in ceremony of her husband’s son as chief minister.
(With inputs from news agency PTI)
