The Monsoon Session of the Jharkhand Assembly resumed on Friday with an all-party chorus demanding the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, for legendary tribal leader and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder Shibu Soren, popularly known as Dishom Guru.
The House paid homage to Soren and former minister Ramdas Soren before moving to business. Congress legislature party leader Pradeep Yadav led the charge, urging the Assembly to pass a resolution recommending the award to the Centre.
The Congress MLA said no one symbolised the fight for Jharkhand’s identity, tribal rights and social justice more than Soren, who devoted his life to these causes.
The demand found rare unanimity across the political spectrum. JDU’s Saryu Roy backed the proposal, calling for national-level recognition for Soren.
Also read: Shibu Soren’s life story to enter Jharkhand classrooms
Independent MLA Arup Chatterjee pressed for installing Soren’s statue in the Assembly premises, conferring the Bharat Ratna and transforming his ancestral village, Nemra, into a tourist hub.
JKLM legislator Jairam Mahato suggested placing statues of Soren and Vinod Bihari Mahato atop Parasnath Hills, while AJSU’s Nirmal Mahato said implementing prohibition in Jharkhand would be the truest tribute to the late leader.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren, responding to the collective sentiment, said the demand reflected the emotions of legislators and the public alike. “It is the feeling of the House, which will be duly considered,” he said.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled the first supplementary budget for 2025-26, pegged at Rs 4,296.62 crore. Speaker Rabindranath Mahato adjourned the proceedings after announcing that discussions on the budget would be held on August 25.
The ongoing four-day sitting will conclude on August 28. The Monsoon Session, initially convened on July 26, had been adjourned indefinitely on August 4 following Shibu Soren’s demise.
Its resumption has provided legislators with a platform to push for the highest civilian honour for a leader widely hailed as the architect of Jharkhand’s statehood movement.
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