Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
In West Bengal, the demand for inclusion of the Kurmi community in the Scheduled Tribe category is gaining momentum again. On Tuesday, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee supported this demand. In a meeting with Kurmi leaders, Mamata expressed seriousness on this demand. He said that this proposal is stalled because of the Centre.
In 2018, Mamata Banerjee sent a proposal to the Center on the demand of the Kurmi community. Mamata had also written to the Center in 2023 regarding the demands of this community. Mamata said in her letter that why this community needs to be included in the ST category? However, the Center did not take any initiative on Mamata’s demand to include the Kurmi community in the ST category.
For a long time, the Kurmi community in Bengal has been demanding inclusion in the ST category. Recently the matter also went to the High Court and the court has sought a response from the Center and the state.
Why the demand to include Kurmi in ST?
The Kurmi community is demanding inclusion in this category on grounds of culture and backwardness. These communities say that before 1950 they were in the ST category, but in 1950 they were removed from this category.
After the year 2000, the demand to include Kurmi in ST gained momentum in some parts of Bengal and Jharkhand. The demand took a new turn when the Arjun Munda government of Jharkhand sent a proposal to the Center in 2004.
The Mundas demanded that the Kurmis be included among the tribes. However, the UPA government at the Center rejected Munda’s demand. Interestingly, the proposal sent to the Center when Munda was Chief Minister, these demands were not settled when Munda was Minister of Scheduled Tribes at the Centre.
Mamata Banerjee in support of Kurmi, what does it mean?
Mamata Banerjee has come out openly in support of Kurmi. In such a situation the question becomes what does it mean? The Kurmi community constitutes between 3-5 percent of the population in Bengal. The largest population of this community is in Purulia with 65 percent, Bankura with 42 percent, Jhargram with 18 percent and West Medinipur with 17 percent.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Mamata Banerjee’s party Trinamool Congress won 3 Lok Sabha seats (Jhargram, Bankura and Medinipur) from these 4 districts. However, the margin of victory was very small. When BJP won in Purulia.
In 2021, the Trinamool Congress suffered a major setback in these seats. In Purulia, the party got only 3 out of 9 seats. BJP won 6 seats. Similarly, Bharatiya Janata Party won 8 out of 12 seats in Bankura. Trinamool won only 4 seats in Bankura.
However, Trinamool fared well in West Medinipur and Jhargram. While Trinamool had a clean sweep in Jhargram, it won 5 out of 6 seats in Medinipur. It is being said that Mamata wants to resolve the equation between Purulia and Bankura by raising the Kurmi issue again.
Preparing to weaken BJP in Jharkhand as well
The Kurmi community also has political influence in Bengal’s neighboring state of Jharkhand. Assembly elections are scheduled to be held here later this year. Giving fresh air to this demand, Mamata has increased BJP’s troubles in Jharkhand as well.
Kurmis have so far been the main voters of the BJP coalition. In recent elections, the BJP has registered victories in Kurmi-dominated seats (Giridih, Jamshedpur, Ranchi and Dhanbad).
BJP is facing India Alliance in Jharkhand. Mamata is part of this alliance and has good relations with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
