Jhargram (West Bengal)
Once a strong Left bastion, Jhargram is one of the four parliamentary seats — the others being Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore — that witnessed the maximum Maoist violence till 2012 leaving in its trail scores of murders in a period of a few years.
But Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s blood and iron policy that saw the elimination of the Maoist militia chief Kishenji a few months after she assumed power in 2011 and her subsequent populist schemes like Kanyashree, Sabooj Saathi, Laxmir Bhandar et al coupled with the arrest and surrender of Maoist leaders like Suchitra Mahato, Jagori Baskey and lot many others brought the ultra-Leftist menace to the level of nothing.
The ideological vacuum in the absence of Marxists helped the Right-wing forces led by RSS to make considerable inroads in the area, gradually displacing TMC post-2014, when the Narendra Modi-led BJP assumed power. The upshot: In 2019, BJP’s Kunar Hembram wrested the Jhargram seat from Mamata Banerjee’s party. The BJP’s Jangalmahal sweep was complete as it also won the other three Lok Sabha seats in the region. Jhargram goes to poll on May 25.
“All the major political outfits in this constituency are guilty of playing with the Kurmi and tribal sentiments one time or the other, vertically dividing them as a composite development seeking population mindful of their socio-economic rights,” says a local college teacher.
Though there is no visible agitation or hostility in their day to day lives, there is suppressed emotion that could definitely find expression during the elections, sources say. Jhargram goes to polls on May 25.
While the Kurmis comprise about 18 percent of votes, the tribals comprising Santhals, Mundas, Oraons and Lodhas among others constitute a larger vote bank of 29.73 percent. While the Kurmis demand tribal status with the facilities attached to it, the general tribal population resent it lest the better off and more educated Kurmis take away their benefits.
“I will try to resolve the issue after the elections as this needs to be resolved through discussions among all stakeholders, including the state and central governments,” says BJP candidate Pranat Tudu, a doctor by profession who is contesting in place of sitting party MP Kunar Hembram who refused to contest on account of personal reasons triggering suspicion that he is back-tracking facing a prospect of a defeat.
More confident of getting the tribal votes on account of his being a Padma Shree and Sahitya Academy Award winner TMC’s nominee, Kalipada Soren, a noted Santhali playwright, says his party supports the Kurmis gently pushing the ball to the Centre’s court saying it is for New Delhi to take a call as the State has already sent its report. “I don’t think the Adivasis will object to it. All of us live like brothers and sisters with the nature being our mother,” he says.
If the TMC is plagued by the issues of corruption and deteriorating law and order, the BJP seems considerably hurt by the Uniform Civil Code. Both the Kurmis and the tribals here feel that the UCC as proposed by the Centre could ruin their traditional religious and cultural lives.
“We are forest people and enjoy forest rights as also rights regarding our culture and religion which is based on forest and nature. The UCC is definitely going to hurt our religious and cultural systems,” said Rupika Soren, a student pursuing a course in business management in Kolkata.
Advocate Suman Hansda says, “Adivasis are sensitive about their indigenous religion and associated social practices. We want no government interference in our traditional lives and expect both the Centre and the state to honour our rights to water, forest and land.”
“If the BJP implements Uniform Civil Code, like they say they would, the tribals would be the hardest hit. I will definitely resist this as a son of jangalmahal,” the TMC nominee asserts, reminding of the rebellions against the British in the past.
“We have long fought for our rights to self control and never bowed before the British. So we will not relish subjugation of adivasi culture and imposition of social codes from above … there will be opposition to this from the Adivasis,” Soren maintains.
The BJP candidate, however, steers clear of any controversy and points out at more material issues that plague Jhargram.
“Our medical facilities are not good. The Jhargram Medical College does not even have an MRI machine. There is no echocardiogram facility and the Government claims big forays in the field of development,” he alleges.
On whether the Kurmis would vote for the BJP or the TMC at a time when they have their own candidate, he claims, “There is no division along ethnic lines and the people will vote according to their likings.”
The third and the last in the line of recognizable political opponents is the Left candidate Sonamoni Tudu, a semi-outsider of sorts. A daughter of Jharkhand and a Bahu of Jhargram, she has an enviable distinction of not losing an election — though those were local level polls — in life.
Having worked for the past several years among the women in the interior villages, addressing their issues particularly women’s education, cleanliness and use of sanitary napkins the 30-year-old docile-looking lady has gained considerable popularity in the villages.
“I had been working with the women for years. There was a time when women in villages were not even allowed to come out of their rooms during menstruation but now things are changing. They are now using modern stuffs like sanitary pads too. They are feeling free to talk it out with the councilors. We have managed to bring them out of their homely confines,” the CPI(M) candidate, a panchayat member, says.
She also says that if she wins she will do something for migrant workers. “Today, the situation in Bengal is such that every morning we find trucks load of workers going to Jamshedpur, or even South India for work. I will take things up in parliament so that the locals get jobs locally so that they do not have to depend upon government grants.”
On whether she would win, she asserts, “The way the TMC has got involved in corruption and the way the BJP has divided the people the voters are realizing that and are returning to the Left fold.”
But what does an average Jhargram local want? “Jhargram is a tourist spot with a royal palace, waterfalls, lush green valley-like places which are exquisite during the monsoon and winter. You have forests infested with elephants and hills around, so the people of Jhargram want tourism to develop here. Jhargram and nearby areas must be developed and one wonders why no government since Independence took care of these issues,” says Hanshi Biswas, a local.
“We want better facilities in sectors like education, health, employment and environment protection. Every year, people are killed by elephants or their properties and crops destroyed by the animals. There is a need to build a dedicated elephant corridor to address increasing instances of man-animal conflict in the region,” she outlines adding the Kurmi-tribal politics will have less impact on the urban voters, who want development.
