West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was on Wednesday seen merrily shaking a leg to the tunes of Adivasi music at a tribal mass wedding celebration in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district. As she was moving to the beats of the tribal music, hand in hand with Adivasi women, the voice of the organiser pointed out how the West Bengal CM can bring the state and its tribals together.
Mamata has always projected a tribal-friendly image. The TMC has fared well in the tribal-dominated districts of West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura by winning 29 out of 40 constituencies in the state assembly elections last year. The main opposition party in Bengal BJP had made serious inroads in the region after it won five out of the six Lok Sabha seats in the region.
Last year, Banerjee, while on a visit to the tribal-dominated Jangalmahal area to celebrate the International Tribal Day, had demanded a law from the central government to protect the tribal land in order to stop the transfer of ownership to the non-tribal population. Back in 2018, Banerjee had vowed that her government would never seize any tribal property.
“The rights of the tribals have to be protected. We have taken all steps for the development of the tribal communities of our state. Nearly 95 per cent of the tribal population in Jhargram has received benefits from state government schemes. We have also created a separate department for the welfare of tribals and to ensure their land rights are protected. Tribal land cannot be transferred in Bengal. A similar law to protect the land rights of tribals across the country should be passed by the Centre,” she had said, as reported by news agency PTI, while adding, “We have built super-specialty hospitals, colleges, universities in the region.”
The Bengal government has officially acknowledged Ol Chiki, the Santhali script, said Banerjee.
