RANCHI: Sita Soren, the daughter-in-law of JMM patriarch Shibu Soren and a three-time MLA from the Jama Assembly seat in Dumka, entered politics after the passing of her husband, Durga Soren, in 2009. Durga was the elder brother of Hemant Soren.Among the Soren siblings—Durga, Hemant, Basant, and their sister Anjani—it was the eldest brother, Durga Soren, who was poised to lead the JMM. However, his untimely passing at the age of 39 cleared the path for Hemant Soren to assume leadership, as Shibu Soren’s advancing age posed concerns.Sita Soren held the position of Central General Secretary in the JMM before her resignation. She also served in the Rajya Sabha once. Her discontent became apparent following Hemant Soren’s resignation and arrest in January. When Hemant’s wife, Kalpana Soren, emerged as a potential CM candidate in Jharkhand, Sita vehemently opposed the idea. Her strong opposition led to Kalpana Soren withdrawing from consideration. Tensions escalated when Sita’s name was omitted from the list of cabinet ministers sworn in under the Champai Soren Government in Jharkhand.Sita joined the BJP in New Delhi in the presence of its national general secretary Vinod Tawde and Jharkhand poll in-charge Laxmikant Bajpai.In her resignation letter addressed to JMM supremo and her father-in-law, Shibu Soren, Sita Soren expressed that since the passing of her husband, the party neglected to provide adequate support to her and her family.”After the demise of my late husband Durga Soren, a prominent figure in the Jharkhand movement, me and my family have endured ongoing neglect. We have felt isolated by both the party and family members, which has been deeply distressing,” she stated.Sita also noted a departure from the party’s core values by accommodating individuals whose principles do not align with its ethos.”Despite the tireless efforts of Shri Shibu Soren to maintain unity, unfortunately, these efforts fell short. I have become aware of a conspiracy against me and my family… I am left with no option but to submit my resignation,” she conveyed in the letter.Incidentally, Sita Soren tendered her resignation both from the party and Assembly membership merely a fortnight after Kalpana Soren entered her political career during the foundation day ceremony of JMM on March 4 at Giridih.Notably, Sita Soren’s resignation came after the Supreme Court judgment which overruled a 1998 top court verdict granting immunity to lawmakers from prosecution for taking bribes to make a speech or cast a vote in legislature. In a significant and unanimous ruling, the bench said that an MP or MLA couldn’t claim immunity from prosecution on a charge of bribery in connection with votes cast or speeches made in the Parliament.The issue came under the Supreme Court’s lens in 2019, when a bench headed by then chief justice Ranjan Gogoi was hearing an appeal filed by Sita Soren, an accused in the JMM bribery scandal. Sita Soren was accused of taking bribes to vote for a particular candidate in the Rajya Sabha election in 2012. She had contended that the constitutional provision granting lawmakers immunity from prosecution, which saw her father-in-law being let off the hook in the JMM bribery scandal, be applied to her. She had then moved the apex court against the Jharkhand High Court order of February 17, 2014 refusing to quash the criminal case lodged against her.
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