BJP govt at Centre ‘deceived’ Rajbanshis by not delivering poll promises, says Abhishek Banerjee

Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday (April 7, 2026) alleged that the BJP government at the Centre has hurt the “pride and self-esteem” of Rajbanshi community in north Bengal by “failing” to honour the earlier promise given during election campaigns.

Addressing a meeting at Natabari Assembly constituency in Coochbehar district, the TMC national general secretary said the BJP at the Centre is yet to respond to the demand by the West Bengal government to recognise Rajbanshi language under the eighth schedule of the Constitution and thus hurt the “pride and self esteem” of members of the community who have their unique, indigenous culture and identity.

Accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of giving false promises to the members of the community, who comprise a large segment of voters in Coochbehar district, he said, “Shah had promised to raise a ‘Narayani Sena’ battalion of the Indian Army from the community members in 2019, 2021 and 2024 poll campaigns, but the Centre is yet to deliver the promise.” “BJP leaders like Shah describe Rajbanshis as friends when he comes to their area to seek votes for BJP candidates and gives lots of promises, but once the polls are over and he is back in Delhi, he forgets about the community. This is true regarding Shah’s professed love for all the communities, including Matuas. This shows the true colour of deceptive BJP,” he said.

Economic hardships of Rajbanshi community

Descendants of the Koch dynasty, the Rajbanshis are the largest Scheduled Caste group in North Bengal, primarily spread over Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Darjeeling districts and have historically faced economic hardships on account of their involvement in agriculture as sharecroppers.

Their political significance stems from their advocacy for regional development and recognition of their Kamtapuri-Rajbanshi language and has, in the past, demanded the formation of a separate state or autonomous council, often under the banner of a Kamatapur movement.

Accusing Mr. Shah of being ignorant about the culture and heritage of indigenous communities of Bengal, he claimed Mr. Shah had misspelt social reformer and community icon Panchanan Barma’s name as Panchanan Barman while making another false promise in past.

“We are yet to see the Panchanan Barma memorial in Cooch Behar to be set up by the Centre as Amit Shah had promised in an election meeting years back. It is another matter that he even distorted his name as Panchanan Barman, which hurt the sentiments of every resident of Coochbehar and Bengal,” Mr. Banerjee said.

He said Mr. Shah’s promise to develop a religious tourism hub by developing popular temples in Coochbehar has also not seen the light of day, while the assurance to set up an AIIMS-type hospital in north Bengal seems to be dumped in cold storage”.

“Also remember how many Bengali-speaking migrants from Coochbehar as well as other parts of Bengal, including Murshidabad and Malda, had been harassed simply for speaking in Bengali in BJP-ruled states,” Mr. Banerjee said.

He described this as a “fight between insult, humiliation and respect, asmita and dignity,” and called upon people to “teach BJP a lesson in the polls.” Accusing the BJP of deleting the names of lakhs of Bengalis from the SIR citing “under abjudication” cause, he said this includes several lakhs of Hindu Bengalis.