Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 5 (ANI): Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday penned an emotional note for his father and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder patron Shibu Soren after his demise at the age of 81.

Shibu Soren, a towering figure in Indian tribal politics and founder of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), passed away on Monday at the age of 81. He died at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi after a prolonged illness, leaving behind a legacy of struggle, sacrifice, and empowerment for India's tribal heartland.

In a post on X, Hemant Soren asserted that he has not only lost his father but a pillar of Jharkhand's soul has departed.

'I am going through the toughest days of my life. Not only has the shadow of a father been taken from me, but a pillar of Jharkhand's soul has departed. I didn't just call him 'Baba,' He was my guide, the root of my thoughts, and that forest-like shade that protected thousands and lakhs of Jharkhandis from the scorching sun and injustice,' he said.

He recalled Shibu Soren's struggle from being born in a poor family to rising to become one of the most influential voices for the tribals.

'My Baba's beginnings were very humble. Born in that small house in Nemra village, where there was poverty, there was hunger, but there was courage. In his childhood, he lost his father. The exploitation of the landlords gave him a fire that made him a fighter for his entire life,' the Jharkhand CM said.

'I have seen him tilling the fields, sitting among the people, not just giving speeches, but living the sorrows of the people. In my childhood, when I asked him, 'Baba, why do people call you Dishom Guru?' He would smile and say: 'Because, son, I only understood their pain and made their fight my own.' That title was not written in any book, nor was it given by Parliament. It came from the hearts of Jharkhand's people,' Hemant Soren emphasised.

The JMM President further mentioned that 'Dishom' means society, 'Guru' means the one who shows the way.

He emphasised the fearless nature of Shibu Soren, saying that he was not afraid of taking on the mightiest of the mighty.

'In my childhood, I saw him only struggling, taking on the mightiest of the mighty. I was scared, but Baba was never afraid. He would say: 'If standing against injustice is a crime, then I will be guilty again and again.' No book can explain Baba's struggle. It was in his sweat, in his voice, and in the cracked heels covered by his sandals. When Jharkhand became a state, His dream came true, but he never considered power an achievement. He said: 'This state is not a throne for me, It is the identity of my people,' Hemant said on X.

Stressing that he learned to fight from his father, Hemant Soren said that his father will remain present in every tail of Jharkhand, in the soil of every field, peering through the eyes of every poor person.

'The dream you saw is now my promise. I will not let Jharkhand bow down; I will not let your name fade away. Your struggle will not remain incomplete. Baba, now you rest. You have fulfilled your duty. Now we must walk in your footsteps. Jharkhand will remain indebted to you. I, your son, will keep your promise,' he said.

The veteran tribal leader and three-time Jharkhand Chief Minister was a towering figure in the state's political landscape and a key architect of the Jharkhand statehood movement.

The last rites of the JMM patriarch will be conducted today in Jharkhand. (ANI)