Kolkata: Kurmi, a tribal community, will be a crucial determining factor in Purulia and Bankura, in at least 30 out of the 42 Assembly s...
Kolkata: Kurmi, a tribal community, will be a crucial determining factor in Purulia and Bankura, in at least 30 out of the 42 Assembly seats in Jangal Mahal's Purulia and Bankura, which went to the polls on March 27 as well as on April 1.
A tribal community, the Kurmis have a population
of around 30 lakh, and can act as a
deciding factor for the BJP and the TMC
in this region. Currently this tribal community is listed under
the OBC category, though the Kurmis have a
longstanding demand that they be inducted in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
The Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, has assured
development of the Kurmi
community, ease of getting caste certification,
jobs for every family and education in
their language, hitting all the crucial factors to garner votes in BHP’s
favour. Shah has also promised Minimum
Support Price (MSP) for forest produce and
Kendu leaves and similar facilities for the Santhals, the Oraos and other
tribal communities of Purulia.
This tribal community had voted for the saffron
party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections
resulting in the BJP being victorious in four out of the six Lok Sabha seats in
the region.
The Kurmis are unhappy with the fact that
despite the BJP pushing the implementation
of CAA, they have been neglecting them. Those who reside in the forests don’t even have any documents to
prove their ancestry and no certificate
from the Central Government, a member of the Kurmi community said
Amit Shah has been assuring caste certificates
and tribal boards for the developments of
these tribal communities. He has also
promised jobs for every family and education in their language. The BJP manifesto also promises to build an
AIIMS in the Junglemahal area and the formation
of a Tribal Development Board.
He has also vowed to implement a Rs 100 crore
development fund for the tribals. If voted to power, every Kurmi and Adivasi family will get one job
each and clean drinking water for Purulia region.
The Trinamool Congress too has been instrumental
in using Chhatradhar Mahato, the tribal
leader, to woo the Kurmi community in Jungalmahal.
No comments