Trinamool’s charm offensive for SCs as it seeks to expand beyond Bengal

To expand its footprint beyond West Bengal, the state’s Trinamool Congress government has launched a major drive to improve the party’s image among the scheduled castes, who constitute more than 16.6 per cent of the country’s population.

Among the slew of measures the government has planned after constituting a Scheduled Caste Advisory Council is a mega SC convention sometime in November-December this year (subject to Covid-19 situation).

Five prominent personalities from SC communities will be invited from all states to participate in the convention to share their ideas for development, said Mukul Chandra Bairagya, a senior SC community leader of the TMC.

The convention will also showcase to the rest of the states various welfare measures taken by the West Bengal government for the development of the “SC and other marginalised communities”, he added.

After chairing the first meeting of the 15-member advisory council on August 26, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to highlight it as a major initiative towards holistic development of the community.

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“With immense pride I can say that West Bengal is the only state in India where a dedicated Scheduled Caste Advisory Council has been set up,” she said.

“Through this unprecedented initiative, GoWB will be fully committed towards holistic upliftment of our Taposili brothers and sisters,” the CM tweeted.

The SC community is called Taposili Jati in Bengali.

“The 15-member council will oversee the proper implementation of welfare schemes launched by the government for the community and will also advise the government about the steps needed to take up for the development of the community,”  Bairagya said.

For the SC/ST community, the state government further plans to build 20 lakh pucca houses in next five years, set up a hundred new English medium schools and 45 community centres across districts named after B R Ambedkar, the country’s tallest Dalit icon.

The initiatives, Bairagya admitted, will be the party’s major talking points as it goes for expansion beyond Bengal, particularly in states where there are a significant chunk of SC voters.

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“Mamata Banerjee and her party TMC have considerable goodwill among minorities even outside Bengal. Banerjee is always vocal on minority issues, be it against beef ban or enactment of CAA [Citizenships Amendment Act]. Now along with its pro-minority image, the TMC is also trying to showcase itself as a champion of SC cause,” said Probir Pramanik, a senior journalist and political commentator.

In Tripura, where the TMC thinks it has a very good chance of winning elections, SCs constitute 17.4 per  cent  of  the  total population  of  the  state.  As in Bengal, majority of the SC community in the state are Namasudras.