Siliguri: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the BJP-led Centre has “deceived” the Rajbanshi community of North Bengal by failing to fulfil key promises made during successive election campaigns.
Addressing a public meeting at Natabari in Cooch Behar district, the Banerjee claimed that the Centre has hurt the “pride and self-esteem” of the community by not responding to the state government’s demand to include the Rajbanshi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
“The BJP government at the Centre is yet to respond to our demand for recognition of the Rajbanshi language. This has hurt the pride and self-respect of a community with a rich cultural identity,” he said.
He added that none of PM Modi’s poll promises in North Bengal has seen the light of day. “There have been only empty assurances of Modi and the BJP since the 2019, 2021 and 2024 elections. What has been the fate of Narayani battalion, Panchanan Barma National library and Jalpesh temple being transformed into an international tourist spot? None has seen the light of day,” declared Banerjee.
Later, addressing a campaign rally at the SJDA ground in Narayanpur in Jalpaiguri, Banerjee stated: “There are thousands of people dependent on agriculture in Jalpaiguri, especially the potato farmers. See what the Modi government has done to them. The fertilizer they used to buy at Rs 1450 is now Rs 1900. They have also banned potato seeds from Bengal. Farmers now have to procure a sack from Punjab at a cost of around Rs 4,000, whereas the same sack sourced from Bengal earlier cost between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500,” added Banerjee.
Claiming that the state government always extended help to the farmers, he said: “New cold storages will be coming up. In our election manifesto, we have stated that if we form the government, we will allot a separate agricultural budget of Rs 30000 crore.”
In an election rally at Natabari, Tufanganj, Banerjee accused the BJP of attempting to divide people along ethnic and linguistic lines. “Don’t fall into the trap laid by the BJP. Stay alert against their divisive politics,” he added. He urged the tea workers to stand with the TMC. “If its wage increases, only our government will do it and not just make empty assurances,” added Banerjee.