Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday reassured the tribal population in Jungle Mahal of her government’s commitment to protect their land rights and properties amid alleged bids to grab adivasis’ plots by a section of people across the country with money in their hands.

Mamata on Friday spoke at two back-to-back election rallies in Jhargram and Ghatal in support of Trinamool Congress candidates Kalipada Soren and Dipak Adhikar (Dev), respectively.

The Trinamool chairperson also participated in a road show in Kharagpur town canvassing for Kharagpur party candidate June Malia.

“I know that those who have money have been trying to seize land from the poor tribals. I have enacted laws to protect their land. Transfer of tribal land will not be allowed and no person from other community will be allowed to buy land of the tribals as well in the state,” Mamata told the rally at Gajashimul village in Gopiballabhpur, which is in the Jhargram Lok Sabha segment.

Gopiballabhpur is a tribal pocket in Jungle Mahal in the West Midnapore district.

The BJP had bagged the Jhargram seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes in 2019.

Mamata’s aggressive campaigning in Jungle Mahal and Trinamool’s attempts to protect tribal land rights paid dividends in the 2021 Assembly polls with the party winning all seven seats in the Jhargram Lok Sabha constituency.

On Friday, Mamata said that her government would protect the properties of the tribals and their “pattas” from being snatched so that they could live with “dignity”.

“Snatching of land and properties of the tribals as well as their humiliation will not be allowed. This is our commitment,” she said.

While the BJP was in power in neighbouring Jharkhand, the government in the state had tried to amend the Chottanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act that bars the sale of land belonging to the tribal people.

The Jharkhand government amid protest had also tried to set up business ventures on the land owned by tribals.

According to Section 14A of the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955, transfer of tribal land to non-tribal population is prohibited except with the permission of a revenue officer, apart from certain purposes like improvement of land and investment. The Mamata government strengthened the 1955 law through amendments to protect adivasis’ plots.

Mamata on Friday asked the people in Jungle Mahal to be “careful” about the
BJP, which she alleged
was trying to create tension in the area.

“It can even create a fight between Kurmis and tribals,” she said while assuring Kurmis of considering their demand for recognition as ST.

Speaking in Ghatal later, Mamata announced that the work for the much-awaited Ghatal masterplan aimed to control floods had begun.