The Kurmi community, which makes up a big part of the Jungle Mahal population, has thrown a dare at the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls, asking the party to ensure that the Centre approves the community’s re-inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
Leaders of the community have pointed out that the Trinamul-led state government had sent its proposal to that effect to the Narendra Modi government last month.
Leaders of the community said that the Kurmis, who account for around 50 lakh of Bengal’s population and play a decisive role in the outcome of some 35 Assembly constituencies in the four Jungle Mahal districts, had been registered under the Scheduled Tribe category till 1931, but dropped from the list after Independence for “unknown reasons”.