Trinamul has drawn up a plan of campaign to reach out to the tribal population in Bengal over the latter’s longstanding demand for recognition of Sarna as a religious code.

The move is being seen as an attempt to revive the party’s support in tribal belts where the saffron camp has consolidated its base in the past four-five years, evident in the 2019 parliamentary and 2021 Assembly elections.

Also, after Droupadi Murmu’s win in the recent Presidential elections, BJP plans to campaign in tribal belts projecting her as an icon of the community.

“We will reach out to the tribal people and elaborate before them that the Trinamul government of Bengal has already flagged the demand before the Centre. The state cabinet passed a proposal on the issue earlier this month and it has been decided that a bill would be tabled at the Assembly in this regard soon. The tribal population here should know about this and about all other initiatives the state government has taken for them,” said Rajesh Lakra, president of Jalpaiguri district INTTUC, the Trinamul workers’ union.

For decades now, the tribal community wants the Centre to recognise Sarna as a distinct religious code. Those who practise the Sarna religion are nature worshippers.

Trinamul has been focusing on the Adivasi community recently. At administrative meetings in districts with a significant tribal population, chief minister Mamata Banerjee underscored before the administration and departments to work for the socio-economic uplift of Adivasis.

She attended a tribal mass marriage in Alipurduar where Trinamul doesn’t have a single MLA and referred to the Sarna code at her party’s mega rally in Calcutta on July 21.

“That Trinamul is determined to win back tribal support is evident as on July 20, the chief minister wrote to MLAs on the decision of the state cabinet and said her government will again approach the Centre, seeking recognition of Sarna and Sari codes,” said an observer.

Sarna is referred to as Sari in some areas.

In her letter, Mamata said that on July 6, a proposal to recognise the code was taken up by the cabinet and that she had been pursuing the matter for long, referring to a letter in December 2020 she had sent to the Centre on the issue.

“The state cabinet has decided to table a bill at the Assembly in its next session. Also, proposals seeking the recognition (of the code) would be sent to the Centre again. We hope our efforts will yield results…. It should be elaborated before members of the tribal society of your area,” Mamata wrote.

In Bengal, the tribal community forms around six per cent of the population.

“Trinamul’s plan to speak on its initiatives for recognition of the Sarna code is significant as the saffron party has also drawn up plans to woo the tribal community. Both are eyeing the Adivasis as the panchayat and parliamentary elections are ahead,” said an observer.