Jhargram: Tribal leaders from the Jungle Mahal and the adjoining districts of Bengal will meet in Calcutta on May 30 to discuss how the Bengal government has allegedly failed the adivasis on a host of issues, including primary education and social welfare.

The Bharat Jakat Majhi Pargana Mahal - one of the biggest umbrella organisations of the adivasis in Bengal - has upped the ante, riding on the success of tribal Independent candidates in the recent panchayat polls.

The meeting by over 200 representatives of the Mahal from eight districts, including Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura and the two Midnapores, in a conference hall at Bowbazar is considered as a first of its sorts in recent history.

Calcutta has not witnessed such a convergence from the Jungle Mahal with the sole aim to discuss issues concerning the tribal identity.

The meeting is significant as the ruling Trinamul has been grappling to understand why it fared badly in the tribal dominated areas in the polls.

"It's not just roads and cycles. Tribals want something more. The government, for instance, has set up a Tribal Advisory Committee but it has not delivered anything for us," said Nityananda Hembram, one of the senior members of the Mahal. "Give us the right of self-governance," he added.

Tribals from parts of Jhargram have started questioning how Rs 200 crore has been spent since the new district was declared in April 2017.

Similarly, villagers from Bankura and Purulia have begun wondering about the funds reportedly spent on improving irrigation. Others have also started voicing concerns about lack of teachers in primary schools where Santhali is taught.

Sources in Trinamul said the government had little option but to take note of the issues as the organisation had emerged as a pressure group.