Identity politics has become the flavour of the season in north Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections as both the Trinamul Congress and the BJP are leaving no stone unturned to woo Rajbanshis through a series of announcements and initiatives in remembrance of Panchanan Barma, the most revered social reformer of the community.

The reason behind the reachout attempt is simple. The Rajbanshi population spread across Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and North Dinajpur districts is a decisive factor in around half of the 54 Assembly constituencies in north Bengal.

In the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the BJP had managed to perform exceptionally well in the Rajbanshi-dominated belts of north Bengal and won seven of the eight Parliament seats in the region.

In the run up to the Assembly elections, while the BJP is desperate to retain its support base, Trinamul wants to woo them back.

As both these political forces pull out all stops to draw support from Rajbanshis, The Telegraph highlights some of the announcements made and initiatives taken by Trinamul and the BJP in the past few weeks.

Trinamul’s initiatives

⚫On February 14, that is, on the birth anniversary of Panchanan Barma, the state government handed over a plot of 13 acres to Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University (CBPBU) for the construction of a second campus at Khalishamari — the Rajbanshi icon’s birthplace — in the Mathabhanga subdivision of Cooch Behar. State ministers paid homage to Barma on that day at the venue.

⚫On February 15, chief minister Mamata Banerjee virtually laid the foundation stone of the second campus at Khalishamari. She also unveiled a bronze statue of Barma on the main campus of the varsity.

⚫On February 14, a number of Trinamul leaders and state ministers were seen offering homage to Barma at various places of north Bengal, including Siliguri and Jalpaiguri.

⚫In the vote-on-account for the next fiscal, the chief minister announced that the state government would recognise 200 Rajbanshi-medium schools and also open schools in Kamtapuri (a variant of Rajbanshi language) in the areas dominated by the community.

⚫The Bengal government has also announced formation of Narayani battalion (named after the royal troops of the erstwhile princely state of Cooch Behar) in Bengal police. It would have its headquarters at Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar.

⚫The state has also offered jobs to over 500 former militants and linkmen of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO). Most of them are Rajbanshi youths.

⚫The Mamata Banerjee dispensation has promised to look into the demand of a development board for Nasya Sheikhs who introduce themselves as Rajbanshi Muslims.

Added to these, the Mamata Banerjee government had earlier established the varsity in Barma’s name and constituted two language academies and a development and cultural board for Rajbanshis.

BJP’s initiatives

⚫On February 11, Union home minister Amit Shah announced that the Centre would install a statue of Panchanan Barma by spending Rs 250 crore. Also, a cultural hub for Rajbanshis would be set up in Cooch Behar, on which Rs 500 crore would be spent.

⚫The home minister also announced that a Narayani battalion would be formed in central paramilitary forces. Also, a training centre of such forces would be named after Chila Roy (Chila Roy or Sukladhwaj, the younger brother of King Naranarayan, is known to be the fiercest fighter of the Cooch Behar royal family.)

⚫On February 14, as a three-day cultural fest hosted by the Union ministry of tourism and culture was opened at the Cooch Behar palace, all dignitaries, including Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union minister of state Prahlad Singh Patil and local BJP MP Nisith Pramanik paid homage to a portrait of Panchanan Barma on the dais.

⚫On the same day, BJP held a public meeting at Baburhat in Alipurduar district. It was the first public meeting of Suvendu Adhikari in north Bengal after he joined the BJP. The dais was named as Panchanan Barma Manch.