The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal is facing challenges in exploiting the discontent among the Kurmi community, which threatens their support base in the state. Since the Kurmis began their agitation earlier this year, the BJP has been attempting to leverage the community’s resentment against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). However, the party’s efforts have been unsuccessful, and they have experienced a decline in support from tribal communities.
In an attempt to win over the Kurmi community, the leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, evoked communal sentiments during a recent speech in Pingboni, West Midnapore. He claimed that the Hindu Kurmi Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state have suffered under the Trinamool Congress’s politics of appeasement and corruption, while accusing the Muslim community of benefiting from electoral politics. This statement follows Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s meetings with representatives from the tribal and Kurmi communities, aiming to reconcile their differences over the Scheduled Tribe tag.
For the saffron camp (referring to the BJP), the reconciliation between the Kurmis and the Trinamool Congress poses a significant setback as they have been unable to exploit the dissatisfaction that initially arose within the community. The Kurmis had organized statewide agitations demanding an ST (Scheduled Tribe) tag for themselves, which turned violent, resulting in the attack on Trinamool minister Birbaha Hansda‘s vehicle. In response, the BJP attempted to reach out to the Kurmis, with Adhikari personally visiting the families of arrested Kurmi leaders and promising them support.
However, the BJP has failed to bridge the disconnect that emerged between the party and the Kurmi community since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in which the BJP won all the Kurmi-dominated seats. Trinamool Congress slowly gained ground in these areas, effectively implementing their government’s financial schemes targeting tribal communities. Additionally, the Trinamool Congress has successfully convinced people in these regions that the Kurmis’ violent agitations are sponsored by the BJP.
In 2023, the BJP won only 19% of the total gram panchayat seats in the districts of West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, and Bankura, where the Kurmis constitute about 35% of the average vote share. Faced with this situation, BJP leaders feel compelled to resort to religious politics, emphasizing the politics of religion as a tool to regain support.
To address the situation and support party workers who allegedly faced violence from Trinamool Congress, BJP’s national chief J.P. Nadda will participate in a party event at the Science City auditorium on Saturday. The event will see Nadda addressing and interacting with BJP workers and supporters. Winning candidates from the rural polls are also expected to attend.
It is evident that the BJP’s failed attempt to exploit the discontent among the Bengal Kurmi community threatens their support base in the state. Their inability to politically leverage the community’s agitation and reconcile with their interests may impact the party’s future prospects in West Bengal.
