Divya Delhi : At 81, tribal chieftain and three-time Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren died. He was on life support after a stroke last month while receiving kidney treatment in Delhi. Soren co-founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), a significant regional party that helped create the tribal-dominated eastern state, almost 40 years ago. He was Jharkhand's chief minister three times but failed to finish his mandates due to political instability. Son Hemant Soren, Jharkhand's chief minister, announced the leader's death on Monday. "Our respected Dishom Guru has left us, I have nothing left," he wrote on X, calling Soren "great leader" in Santhali, the language of India's largest tribal community, the Santhal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Soren "a grassroot leader who rose through the ranks of public life with unwavering dedication to the people" during the tributes. Born in 1944, Soren grew born in a tiny village in Jharkhand, then part of Bihar. In 1973, he created the JMM to create a state for Bihar's southern tribes. Soren became a political powerhouse in Jharkhand after statehood in 2000. He was convicted of murder in 2004 and resigned as Congress' federal coal minister a few months later. He rejoined the government later that year following bail. He resigned to become Jharkhand's chief minister in 2005, but resigned within 10 days when his party lost the state assembly majority. Soren returned to the federal cabinet as coal minister later that year. He had to retire again after being convicted of kidnapping and murdering his personal secretary Shashinath Jha in 1994. His accusations were dropped in 2018. Political leaders across parties paid respect to the leader on Monday after his passing. He was "the pivotal figure" in the Jharkhand movement, according to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. "He was truly a legend whose passion for social and economic justice was inspirational," Ramesh said. "For the people of Jharkhand, he was no less than a god," stated Maharashtra Shiv Sena (UBT) member Sanjay Raut. Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who opposed Jharkhand state but later joined with Soren, called his death a "deep sorrow" and hailed him a wonderful leader who battled for tribespeople and Dalits.