Rajbanshi outfits in north Bengal have come together to float a common platform to support the Trinamul regime and raise their key demands, which include separate statehood and inclusion of Rajbanshi language in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution.
“The state government has done a lot for different communities of north Bengal but the Centre has ignored us. Whether it is the Kamtapuris (Rajbanshis) or the Gorkhas, the central government has not met any of our demands. That is why we have floated a common forum. We are with Mamata Banerjee,” said Atul Roy, president, Kamtapur Progressive Party.
The forum, he said, has been named as Bhumiputra Aikya Mancha.
On Wednesday, Roy, who is a joint secretary of the Mancha, reached here with hundreds of supporters and submitted to the Jalpaiguri district magistrate’s office separate memoranda addressed to the Prime Minister and the chief minister.
Such a move by the Rajbanshis, who can determine poll results in almost half of the 54 Assembly seats in north Bengal, has come as a fresh challenge for the BJP, which suffered a jolt after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung severed ties with the saffron camp.
The problems for the BJP may compound as the Rajbanshis have invited the Gorkhas to join their forum.
“In the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, the BJP had the support of a considerable section of Rajbanshis and the Bimal Gurung faction of the Morcha. If Gurung and the Rajbanshis join hands, it will be definitely a concern for the BJP that has been eyeing a majority of north Bengal seats,” said a political observer.
Trinamul, he said, has taken a series of initiatives to woo the Rajbanshi community in the past few months, which include constitution of separate welfare and development board and language academies.
Even on Tuesday, the state Cabinet decided to work on the proposal to grant recognition to around 200 informal schools in north Bengal where Rajbanshi language is used as a medium of instruction.
That the Rajbanshi leaders are unhappy with the BJP was evident from the KPP leader’s remarks. “Time and again, we were assured that our language would be included in the eighth schedule and we supported the BJP. I have spoken with Bimal Gurung and he is also aggrieved with the BJP. Both Rajbanshis and Gorkhas have been used as vote banks by the saffron party,” said Roy.
Bangshibadan Burman of the Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association is in the Mancha. An outfit of Rajbanshi Muslims also joined the Mancha.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Trinamul could not win any of the eight seats in north Bengal and was ahead only in 12 Assembly segments.
“While the BJP will have to toil hard to retain its support base, both factions of the Morcha and Rajbanshi organisations will surely give an extra edge to Mamata Banerjee’s party,” said an analyst.