NEW DELHI, INDIA— The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the whole day on Monday to honor the death of its sitting member and former Jharkhand chief minister, Shibu Soren, who was 81 years old. After a protracted illness, the founder of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), who was also known as “Dishom Guru,” died at a private hospital in the capital.
The adjournment brings back a long-standing legislative practice that had been stopped in recent years. As soon as the House met, Deputy Chairman Harivansh read an obituary for the veteran leader. He then said that the day’s business would be put on hold as a sign of respect, and there would be no official activity.
Going back to the old way
A senior member of Congress said that the opposition had asked the government to bring back the custom of closing the House for the whole day after a member died. Reports say that Kiren Rijiju, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, was “very accommodating” and consented to the request. The opposition was happy with this choice because the House has not been adjourned for the whole day even after the deaths of major leaders and sitting MPs like Arun Jaitley in 2019 and Ram Vilas Paswan in 2020.
Rijiju told reporters, “A big tribal leader named Shibu Soren died today, so we adjourned the Rajya Sabha for the day to show our condolences.”
In 2016, the general purposes committee first suggested that full-day adjournments be used when a sitting member dies during a session. But in 2019, then-Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu made a modification and said that the House will only be closed for a few hours. The Lok Sabha similarly went through a similar process with Om Birla as Speaker. So, the full-day adjournment for Shibu Soren is a break from this more recent trend.
A Long and Interesting Political Career
Shibu Soren was a very important person in Indian politics and many people saw him as the voice of tribal rights. He was born on January 11, 1944, and was a significant role in the fight for a distinct Jharkhand state, which was established out of Bihar in 2000. He was the Chief Minister of Jharkhand three times and a Member of Parliament in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for a number of terms. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha when he died.
Politicians from all sides have expressed their sadness at his death, and the Jharkhand government has set three days of state mourning.