Kurmi leaders call for boycott of panchayat polls in Bengal

Kolkata, May 9 The cold war between the Trinamool Congress and the people belonging to the Kurmi community in West Bengal, who are staging a mass movement demanding Scheduled Tribe status for them, now seems to be taking a serious turn as the community leaders have called for a total boycott of the forthcoming panchayat polls in the state.

The call for boycotting the rural civic body polls came soon after the community members launched the 'All Wall to Kurmi' campaign in the three tribal-dominated areas of Jangalmahal scattered over West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts, sending across a message to all political parties that the walls of the properties of the community members cannot be used for political campaigns for the forthcoming panchayat polls.

Trinamool MLA Ajit Maiti's comments on Sunday equating the Kurmi agitation with the Khalistan movement have irked the community members further, who have now called for a total boycott of the panchayat polls.

Although Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself has apologised on behalf of Ajit Maiti for the latter's comments, it didn't seem to have satisfied the Kurmi leaders.

According to Kurmi leader Ajit Prasad Mahato, the Chief Minister has always ignored their demands.

"Our single-point demand is that the state government should send the content and justification copies notifying the Kurmis as Scheduled Tribe to the Union government. If our demands are not fulfilled, we will boycott the panchayat polls. At the same time, the people of the community will also not allow political parties to use the walls of their properties for election graffitis," Mahato said.

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