Kishan Community Expresses Disgruntlement with Trinamul Congress Over ST Status Demand

Disgruntled with the Trinamul Congress for not fulfilling their long-standing demand for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) classification, members of the Kishan community in Malda district have expressed their displeasure.

The Malda Jela Kishan Janajati Seba Samity, which is made up of about three lakh members, declared on Friday that they would not be supporting Mamata Banerjee's party in the upcoming general election.

Our demand for the ST status dates back nearly 50 years. Our community has been granted ST status in Bihar, yet we are classified as general in Bengal. We were given the assurance that the community would receive the ST designation when Mamata Banerjee became office in 2011. We have backed Trinamul in every election since then. However, we will disassociate ourselves from the party this time, stated Ashish Mandal, the group's secretary.

The Kishan community of Malda resides in seven blocks: Englishbazar, Gazole, Manikchak, Ratua, Kaliachak 1, 2, and 3. The Malda North and Malda South Lok Sabha segments are home to about 2.5 lakh voters from the group.

Mandal stated that during the chief minister's May 2018 visit to Malda, they had brought up the demand once more.

"She had requested that the relevant officials investigate the request. However, nothing more has happened. For this reason, a lot of people in our community are dissatisfied and think we shouldn't vote for Trinamul," he continued.

The organization's head, Anil Kumar Mandal, made it clear that people from the Kishan community would not be joining the BJP or any other party. Instead, we want to abstain from the Lok Sabha elections. He stated, "Any party wishing to receive our support must guarantee in writing that we will receive the ST status as soon as possible.

Mandal stated that about fifty of the community's rural body members who had won the elections on Trinamul tickets might stay in their positions. He went on, "But none of us will support Trinamul's campaign."

A BJP representative from Malda district named Gour Chandra Mondal claimed that Trinamul had won votes by making fictitious promises.

Trinamul has denied members of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). We think they'll give the BJP an opportunity to fulfill their demand," he remarked.

The Kishan community is heavily represented in the Manikchak Assembly segment, where Sabitri Mitra, a Trinamul MLA, stated: "We urge members of the Kishan community not to go away from us." Their request will be granted.

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