Speaking at a public programme in Purulia district, the chief minister referred to the laws enacted by her government and said, “Nobody can snatch land from the tribals. Their land will not be taken away in any way. The tribal land cannot be also transferred.” In a message to her party leaders, the Trinamool Congress supremo also warned them against depriving people of their rights and said that she would not tolerate any kind of atrocities on people.
In a message to her party leaders, the Trinamool Congress supremo also warned them against depriving people of their rights and said that she should not tolerate any kind of atrocities on people.
“You must stay with people. They helped us win (in the elections). If you do not provide service to them, they will throw us away. If you want to join another political party, I have no objection to it. But, if you are determined to stay in my party, then you will have to work for the people,” Banerjee told TMC leaders and workers.
Since the beginning of this month, Sandeshkhali has been witnessing protests, mostly by tribals, who have accused the local TMC leaders of forcefully occupying their land, not paying the lease money of land, and sexually harassing women. So far, three TMC leaders of Sandeshkhali — Uttam Sardar, Shibaprasad Hazra, and Ajit Maity — have been arrested.
Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior TMC leader said the chief minister has tried to assuage the anger among the tribal people of Sandeshkhali with Tuesday’s assertion that their land cannot be snatched away. “After the Sandeshkhali incident, Opposition leaders have been trying to send a message to the tribals in the state that their lands were being intentionally grabbed. The chief minister on Tuesday tried to minimise that anger,” the TMC leader said.
Meanwhile, the chief minister also announced that her government has started a survey to enumerate the population of the Mahato community amid their long-pending demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Banerjee said her government would also write to the Centre seeking recognition of Sarnaism as a separate religion as being demanded by tribals, and asserted that if it is not given, she would start a massive demonstration. Banerjee’s announcements ahead of the Lok Sabha elections are seen as an effort to woo both Mahatos and tribals to consolidate her vote bank in the Jangal Mahal region in the state’s western part, which was swept by the BJP in 2019.
“The Mahatos have a long-standing demand to declare them as STs. But, I will tell them that it is not in my hands. So, please do not blame me for it. I would like to inform you that we have started a geographical survey to find the actual percentage of the Mahato population in the state. We have over 6 per cent tribal population in West Bengal,” she said.
Banerjee said she would look into the demands of the community, and make efforts to fulfil them.
“I don’t want to create differences between the Mahatos and tribals, and don’t want them to fight before the elections,” she added.
Significantly, the BJP won all five Lok Sabha seats in 2019 in the Jangalmahal region which has a note-worthy population of Kurmis, which also includes Mahatos, and tribals.
Kurmis led massive demonstrations in parts of the state last year, along with neighbouring Jharkhand and Odisha, demanding ST status. Do not pay heed to the “false promises” of the BJP before the elections, she told the gathering.
“BJP lies and tries to stoke communal tensions every day. They make tall promises before every election, and then after the election forget those very conveniently… Do not pay heed to those promises,” she said.
With PTI