Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has congratulated Sanjita Oraon, a tribal athlete from Naxalbari block of the Siliguri subdivision, for winning a gold medal at the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 in Chhattisgarh.
Sanjita, 23, clinched the gold medal in the 10,000m race, clocking an impressive time of 40 minutes and 21.8 seconds. Around 3,000 tribal athletes representing 30 states participated in the event hosted in Raipur, Jagdalpur, and Sarguja from March 25 to April 3.
In a message shared on the social media platform X on Tuesday, Mamata praised Sanjita’s achievement and her perseverance.
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations and abundant love to Sanjita Oraon—a young woman from an indigenous tea-worker family in Naxalbari—for winning the gold medal in the 10,000-meter race at the national level! Sanjita's success has brought glory to us all. She has once again proven that adversity cannot hold back true talent,” the chief minister wrote.
A resident of Hatighisha in Naxalbari block, Sanjita comes from a modest background. Her father, Bijay Orao,n is a daily-wage earner, while her mother Rita is a homemaker.
Currently a final-year humanities student at Naxalbari College, Sanjita has pursued athletics despite limited resources. She trained twice daily on a makeshift field in her village, and during the monsoon, she practised on roads in nearby tea gardens because of the lack of proper facilities.
Those associated with sports in the subdivision welcomed the chief minister’s recognition while highlighting the need for improved sports infrastructure in the region.
Bibekananda Ghosh, the athletics secretary of the Siliguri Mahakuma Krira Parishad and Siliguri Athletics Welfare Organisation, said: “It is a matter of pride that the chief minister has acknowledged her achievement and assured support.”
He also urged the government to invest in a synthetic track and better facilities, noting that the region has abundant talent but lacks proper infrastructure.
Mamata’s appreciation, however, has drawn reactions from the saffron camp. BJP functionaries based in the sub-division said it was an attempt by her to mollify the tribal population of the Terai region, who are disgruntled with the state government for its “non-cooperation” and “cold demeanour” manifested towards the President of India, Draupadi Murmu.
Murmu, who was in the subdivision to attend a conference of the Santhal community on March 7, had alleged non-cooperation by the state and that attempts were made to foil her visit.
The chief minister had reacted to the remarks and was criticised by the saffron ecosystem and the Centre, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The chief minister’s remarks had left the tribal community disgruntled. She knows well that their votes matter in some of the seats in the Terai belt and is thus trying to reach out to them by appreciating the girl,” said a BJP functionary based in Siliguri.