Ranchi/Dumka: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu mourned the death of Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s mother Rupi, 75, who died at a Ranchi hospital late Wednesday after prolonged illness.“Pained by the passing of Rupi Soren Ji. She always worked for empowering tribal communities. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with Hemant Ji, Kalpana Ji and their entire family,” Modi said in a post on X.Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar, ministers of the state cabinet, and others paid their tributes to Rupi at former M Shibu Soren’s Morabadi residence on Thursday. Workers cutting across party lines and common people also kept arriving since Wednesday night to offer their tributes as the district administration threw a heavy security net around the area.Besides Modi and Murmu, Rahul Gandhi, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and former Jharkhand CMs Champai Soren, Arjun Munda, Raghubar Das, Babulal Marandi also condoled Rupi’s death.Rupi was admitted to Hill View Hospital in Ranchi on Sept 25 with breathing trouble. On Wednesday, she was put on ventilator support after her condition deteriorated. She died around 8:40 pm. Her mortal remains were taken to the family’s ancestral Nemra village in Gola block of Ramgarh district for last rites on Thursday.In Dumka, veteran Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) functionaries recalled her only electoral contest in 1999, where she lost to BJP’s Babulal Marandi in the Lok Sabha election by 4,648 votes.“Her contest in 1999 reflected the deep political and emotional connect the Soren family had with Dumka. She stood firmly with Guruji and the party during a difficult electoral battle,” Rajesh Kumar Singh, JMM’s working committee member and senior party functionary, said.Another JMM functionary, Shiva Baski, said Rupi’s association with Dumka was more than just an electoral contest. “Dumka was the political karmabhoomi of Shibu Soren, and Rupi was a constant companion in his long political journey. She remained closely connected with the people and party workers here,” Baski added.
