Lok Sabha elections: Trinamul Congress loses Kishan favour over tribal tag denial
Telegraph | 16 March 2024
Members of the Kishan community in Malda district have expressed disgruntlement with the Trinamul Congress for not meeting their longstanding demand for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
On Friday, representatives of the Malda Jela Kishan Janajati Seba Samity, which represents around three lakh people of the community, said they would not support Mamata Banerjee’s party in the next general election.
“For almost 50 years, we have been demanding the ST status. In Bihar, our community has been granted the ST status but in Bengal, we are in the general category. When Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011, she assured us that the community would be accorded the ST tag. Since then, we have been supporting Trinamul in every election. But this time, we will distance ourselves from the party,” said Ashish Mandal, a secretary of the outfit.
In Malda, members of the Kishan community live in seven blocks — Manikchak, Ratua, Kaliachak 1, 2 and 3, Gazole and Englishbazar. Around two-and-a-half lakh voters of the community are in Malda North and Malda South Lok Sabha segments.
Mandal said they had reiterated the demand before the chief minister during her visit to Malda in May last year.
“She had asked officials concerned to look into the demand. But there has been no further development. That is why many in our community are disappointed and feel we should not vote Trinamul,” he added.
Anil Kumar Mandal, the president of the organisation, clarified that members of the Kishan community would not join the BJP or any other party. “Rather, we are planning to boycott the Lok Sabha polls. If any party wants to get our support, they must give us in writing that we will get the ST status at the earliest,” he said.
Mandal said around 50 rural body members from the community who had won the polls on Trinamul tickets could continue in their posts. “But none of us will join Trinamul’s campaign,” he added.
Gour Chandra Mondal, a BJP leader in Malda district, said Trinamul had bagged votes by making empty promises.
“Members of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) have been deprived by Trinamul. We believe they will give a chance to the BJP to meet their demand,” he said.
Sabitri Mitra, the Trinamul MLA of Manikchak, an Assembly segment with a high concentration of the Kishan community, said: “We urge members of the Kishan community not to go away from us. Their demand will be fulfilled.”