Ranchi, Aug 10 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended birthday greetings to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also greeted Soren on his birthday.
Soren is currently in his ancestral village Nemra in adjoining district Ramgarh for rituals that are to be conducted after the death of his father and JMM founder Shibu Soren on August 4.
“Greetings to Jharkhand CM Shri Hemant Soren Ji on his birthday. Praying for his long life and good health,” Modi said in a post on X.
“Heartfelt birthday wishes to Jharkhand’s Chief Minister, Hemant Soren ji. May you remain healthy and live long – I am with you with full affection in this difficult time. We will together carry forward Guru ji’s ideology with strength,” Gandhi said.
In a post on X, the chief minister thanked PM Modi, Singh, Gadkari and Gandhi for the birthday greetings.
Soren also penned a note for his father, saying that he greatly missed Shibu Soren’s presence on this day.
“Today I am missing Baba a lot. The one who gave me life, the one with whom the roots of my life are connected, is not with me. This is a very painful moment.
“Whose strong fingers held my feet in childhood, whose struggle and whose unconditional love for people taught me to live with sensitivity, taught me to turn every difficulty into an opportunity with ease, and whenever there was darkness on the path, became a lamp and showed me the way to move ahead; that Baba Dishom Guruji has become omnipresent by becoming a part of nature,” he said.
Soren said that though his father is not with him in physical form, he believed that he is present in “every ray of sunlight, in the shade of every tree, in every blowing breeze, in the flow of every river, in every flame of fire”.
“My Baba’s ideals, thoughts and teachings are not just my duty as a son, but also my social responsibility. He taught me to connect with my people, told me that leadership does not mean governance, but service.
“Today, when I take up the responsibility of my state, his words, the faith in his eyes, his face stained with hardwork and struggle, his strong-willed mind to end the suffering of the people, his resolve to bring the exploited, deprived and tribal identity into the mainstream, guide me in every decision,” the CM added.
Shibu Soren, 81, had been undergoing treatment at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi for over a month for kidney-related problems.
Fondly called ‘Dishom Guru’ (leader of the land), Shibu Soren, a towering figure of the state’s tribal movement, was accorded a farewell with a gun salute by the Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) personnel, as his last rites were performed with full state honours on August 5. PTI NAM RBT
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