Kolkata, April 7 Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the BJP government at the Centre has hurt the "pride and self-esteem" of the Rajbanshi community in north Bengal by "failing" to honour the earlier promise given during election campaigns.
Addressing a meeting at the Natabari assembly constituency in Coochbehar district, the TMC national general secretary said that the BJP at the Centre has yet to respond to the demand by the West Bengal government to recognize the Rajbanshi language under the eighth schedule of the Constitution, and thus hurt the "pride and self-esteem" of members of the community who have their unique, indigenous culture and identity.
Accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of giving false promises to the members of the community, who comprise a large segment of voters in Coochbehar district, he said, "Shah had promised to raise a 'Narayani Sena' battalion of the Indian Army from the community members in the 2019, 2021, and 2024 election campaigns, but the Centre is yet to deliver the promise."
"BJP leaders like Shah describe Rajbanshis as friends when he comes to their area to seek votes for BJP candidates and gives lots of promises, but once the polls are over and he is back in Delhi, he forgets about the community. This is true regarding Shah's professed love for all the communities, including Matuas. This shows the true colour of deceptive BJP," he said.
Descendants of the Koch dynasty, the Rajbanshis are the largest Scheduled Caste group in North Bengal, primarily spread over Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Darjeeling districts, and have historically faced economic hardships due to their involvement in agriculture as sharecroppers.
Their political significance stems from their advocacy for regional development and recognition of their Kamtapuri-Rajbanshi language, and have, in the past, demanded the formation of a separate state or autonomous council, often under the banner of a Kamatapur movement.
Accusing Shah of being ignorant about the culture and heritage of indigenous communities of Bengal, he claimed that Shah had misspelled social reformer and community icon Panchanan Barma's name as Panchanan Barman while making another false promise in the past.
"We are yet to see the Panchanan Barma memorial in Cooch Behar to be set up by the Centre, as Amit Shah had promised in an election meeting years back. It is another matter that he even distorted his name as Panchanan Barman, which hurt the sentiments of every resident of Coochbehar and Bengal," Banerjee said.
He said that Shah's promise to develop a religious tourism hub by developing popular temples in Coochbehar has also not been realized, while the assurance to set up an AIIMS-type hospital in north Bengal seems to be shelved.
"Also, remember how many Bengali-speaking migrants from Coochbehar, as well as other parts of Bengal, including Murshidabad and Malda, have been harassed simply for speaking in Bengali in BJP-ruled states," Banerjee said.
He described this as a "struggle between insults, humiliation, and respect, pride, and dignity," and called upon people to "teach BJP a lesson in the polls."
Accusing the BJP of deleting the names of lakhs of Bengalis from the SIR citing "sub judice" as a cause, he said that this includes several lakhs of Hindu Bengalis.
Asserting that the state's flagship women's social welfare project, 'Lakshmir Bhandar', will never be discontinued by the Mamata Banerjee government once it returns to power, he alleged a "woman BJP leader had said in Cooch Behar in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll campaign that BJP will halt 'Lakshmir Bhandar' if it came to power in Bengal."
He accused the Modi government of withholding the Rs 2 lakh crore central fund dues for Bengal "to starve the poor people of the state by blocking social welfare and development projects. But our CM, Mamata Banerjee, devised other ways, like raising money from our own resources, so that people are not deprived. Such is the difference between them and us."
Accusing the BJP of peddling false propaganda to win votes, he said, "Don't fall in the trap laid by the BJP and its allies. They want to divide people along ethnic, linguistic, and religious lines. Be alert."
Elections to the 294-member Assembly will be held in two phases - April 23 and April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
