New Delhi:

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, who had been talking of a new beginning and hinting that he is starting his own party, today admitted that he is joining the BJP. In a social media post, he said it was meant to save tribal identity and existence, which is at stake due to “rampant” infiltration from Bangladesh.

“If these intruders, who are causing economic and social harm to the tribals and natives, are not stopped, the existence of our society in Santhal Pargana will be in danger,” reads a rough translation of his post on X, formerly Twitter.

“In many areas including Pakur, Rajmahal, their number has become more than that of tribals. Apart from politics, we have to make this issue a social movement, only then the existence of tribals will be saved. Only BJP seems serious on this issue and other parties are ignoring it for the sake of votes,” he added.

Earlier this month, the senior JMM leader, who briefly held the post of the Chief Minister, had claimed that he was deeply upset over the treatment he received after Hemant Soren’s return from jail.

Mr Soren said he has experienced “bitter humiliation” as Chief Minister — his government programmes were cancelled by the party leadership without his knowledge; he was barred from attending programms till a party meeting; being told at the meeting to write his resignation without any prior intimation.

“After so much humiliation, I was forced to look for an alternative path,” he wrote, outlining three options for himself.  This, he said, were to “”retire from politics, to form my own separate organization and third, if I find a companion on this path, then to travel further with him”.

The 67-year-old tribal leader had earned the nickname ‘Jharkhand’s Tiger’ for his contribution to the fight to create a separate state in the 1990s. Jharkhand was carved out of the southern part of Bihar in 2000.

Champai Soren had assumed office as the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on February 2, when Hemant Soren resigned just before being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.