West Bengal: TMC Leaders Including CM Face the Music as They Visit Tribal Villagers

The Trinamool Congress Party’s ‘Cholo Jai Grame (Let’s go to the village)’ campaign seems to have landed its leaders in deep waters. CM Mamata Banerjee as well as Minister of State in the state Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Chandrima Bhattacharya and MLA Shampa Dhara have ended up receiving flak from the tribal villagers during their visit to the villages under the campaign.

The campaign, which entails visits and communication with the tribal villagers across the state, brought Bhattacharya to Jaugram in Amara village of East Burdwan on Thursday. Tribal villagers complained to her that they have not received anything – water, ration card or pucca house.

Earlier, on Tuesday, it was CM Banerjee’s turn to witness similar sentiments. She held an administrative meeting at Belpahari in Jhargram. After that, she went to the Malavati village nearby to meet tribal families. The villagers rushed to surround her and were heard telling her about the unavailability of water and housing. They also conveyed to Banerjee that they have not received wages for their 100 days of work under the MGNREGA scheme. Some said that they are forced to fetch water from a distance of two kilometres, while some complained that they were not the beneficiaries of the Bangla Awas Yojana despite their eligibility. The CM was heard saying, “Delhi has closed it. They have taken our money. When I get it, I will give it. I am fighting every day, it will be done by 2024.”

Dhara was similarly told that the villagers still await the facilities promised by the TMC.

While speaking to Bhattacharya on Thursday, a tribal woman informed her that she does not have access to any benefit, nor has a ration card. The minister then inferred that it must be due to a delay in her application. The woman, however, claimed that the application had been submitted three to four years ago – but to no avail. The minister was then seen turning back and leaving in her car.

The villagers complained that in the last 11 years of the Trinamool regime, there was only loot by the village panchayat. There is no work in the village, they said and claimed that the people here are moving to other states in search of work.