Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s two-day North Bengal visit is said to be a strategic move to woo the crucial Rajbanshi vote bank ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
The tour coincides with the death anniversary of Raisaheb Thakur Panchanan Barma on Tuesday, revered as the pioneer of the Rajbanshi community. Mamata paid tribute to him through a social media post before her visit, describing him as the “lifeblood of the Rajbanshi community” whose ideals “continue to inspire the nation.”
Mamata highlighted a series of steps taken by her government to honour Panchanan Barma and uplift the Rajbanshi people. These include the establishment of Panchanan Barma University in Cooch Behar, a second campus at his birthplace Khalisamari, the conversion of his residence into a museum and research centre and the installation of his statue. His birth anniversary has also been declared a state holiday.
She further noted that Rajbanshi has been recognised as an official language, alongside Kamtapuri, Santali, Kurukh, Kurmali, Nepali, Hindi, Urdu, Odia, Punjabi and Telugu. The state has set up the Rajbanshi Development Board, Rajbanshi Cultural Academy, Rajbanshi Language Academy, and Kamtapuri Language Academy. Nearly 200 Rajbanshi schools have received government approval, while the state police has formed the ‘Narayani’ battalion in Mekhliganj comprising the people from the community.
A 15-foot-high bronze statue of Mahavir Chila Roy has also been installed in Baburhat, and Cooch Behar has been declared a heritage city in recognition of the Koch-Kamtapuri-Rajbanshi legacy.
“North Bengal has long been a politically sensitive region, with the Rajbanshi-Kamtapuri community playing a decisive role in electoral outcomes. Mamata’s emphasis on cultural recognition, development initiatives and community pride is aimed at strengthening the ruling TMC’s hold over the Rajbanshi vote base, which will be crucial in the upcoming polls,” said Bishnupriya Dutta Gupta, political science professor in a south Kolkata college.
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