Why Jharkhand protesters are invoking Shibu Soren against son Hemant

Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto holds the portrait of Padma Bhushan awardee and former state CM late Shibu Soren during the 'Vidhan Sabha gherao' march, in Ranchi on August 10. (ANI Video Grab/ Image enhanced using AI) 5 min readNew DelhiAug 11, 2026 12:14 AM IST First published on: Aug 10, 2026 at 07:00 PM IST The Jharkhand protests against irregularities in state competitive exams present what seems to be an irony. While the protests are against the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) government in the state, protesters have been spotted with placards of the Chief Minister’s late father Shibu Soren, apart from those of Bhagat Singh and B R Ambedkar. There have been several precedents of protests not posing questions against the core ideology of a party in power, but accusing its leadership of having fallen from the purported ideals of the party. This template does not just address the opponents of the ruling party but also seeks to address its old-timers by making the point that its past was better than the present.