Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, the founder of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), passed away earlier on Monday. For more than a month, Soren, 81, had been receiving treatment at the hospital for issues connected to his kidneys.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his respects to him at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here. PM Modi also met with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Soren’s son, and other family members during his visit to personally offer his condolences.

“To honor Shri Shibu Soren Ji, I visited Sir Ganga Ram Church. met his family as well. PM Modi wrote on X, “My thoughts are with Hemant Ji, Kalpana Ji, and the supporters of Shri Shibu Soren Ji.”

Hemant Soren, Shibu’s son, revealed his father’s death on Monday. “All of us have lost the esteemed Guru Dishom. “I have become empty today,” Hemant Soren wrote in Hindi on his X account.

According to the hospital’s statement, “He passed away following a protracted illness. A month and a half ago, he had experienced a stroke in addition to a kidney condition. For the past month, he has been on life support.

Following Soren’s death, the prime minister expressed his sorrow on X, calling him a “grassroots leader” who devoted his life to helping the poor and tribal people.

“With unshakable devotion to the people, Shri Shibu Soren Ji ascended through the ranks of public life as a grassroots leader. He had a special enthusiasm for uplifting the impoverished, oppressed, and indigenous populations.

“I was saddened by his death. I’m thinking of his supporters and family. Sent condolences to Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Hemant Soren Ji. He went on, “Om Shanti.”

A kidney problem had kept Soren in the Sri Ganga Ram Hospital for more than a month. He was being treated by the hospital’s neurology and intensive care unit team, as well as Dr. A.K. Bhalla, chairman of nephrology.

He was referred to as “Guruji” or “Dishom Guru” in his native state. Soren was the Chief Minister of Jharkhand three times, from 2005 to 2009 and from 2008 to 2010. However, because of political obstacles, his terms were frequently brief.

Soren, a member of the Santal (Santhal) tribe, was born on January 11, 1944, in Nemra village, which was then a part of Bihar. At the age of 18, he founded the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh, a group dedicated to land rights and tribal liberation.

Along with A.K. Roy and Binod Bihari Mahato, he cofounded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in 1972 with the goal of achieving tribal uplift and a separate Jharkhand state. He later served as its general secretary. He was a key figure in the push for independence, which ultimately led to the creation of Jharkhand in 2000.

During his four-decade political career, Soren was elected to the Lok Sabha eight times and was a member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms, the second of which is still continuing on.