First, joblessness drove them to join an illegal trade, now they have become pawns in a game of political brinkmanship.

The livelihood of over 4 lakh people directly or indirectly involved in coal pilfering has taken centre stage in the Asansol-Durgapur belt this election season with a CBI probe once again halting the illegal trade.

Coal smuggling is a parallel economy in this West Burdwan region, with political parties often being accused of patronising the high-stakes game because of the spoils.

“Coal is easily available here and pilferers hire local jobless youths to extract coal from illegal mines and later load them onto trucks and bullock carts for transportation to the brickfields and iron and steel factories. The youths are paid between Rs 700 and

Rs 1,000 a day as wages, depending on their performance,” a police source said.

Recently, central agencies like the CBI and the ED have swooped down on coal smuggling, arresting a Trinamul youth leader’s brother.

In the run-up to the elections, local Trinamul Congress leaders have launched a whisper campaign in the villages of Asansol and Durgapur, telling residents that their earnings have been hit because the BJP-led government at the Centre has sent the CBI to probe coal smuggling.

“No political party can afford to ignore the plight of 4.5 lakh-plus people, even if they are involved in an illegal trade. The CBI probe and the frequent raids at the illegal mines by the central agency have brought coal smuggling to a grinding halt, hitting these families hard,” said a Trinamul leader in Asansol’s Jamuria.

“We have been telling the villagers the truth… that the CBI has come here on the instructions of the BJP leadership. We have also been telling them that if the BJP comes to power in the state, they will lose their livelihood permanently,” he added.

In 2011, the CPM had also conducted a similar campaign against Trinamul after Mamata Banerjee, then an Opposition leader, had mounted a scathing offensive following the murder of a party worker allegedly at the hands of Left-backed coal mafia in Jamuria. Police were compelled to crack down on the illegal trade after Mamata made it a poll plank against the CPM.

The BJP is now promising proper jobs to the youths involved in coal smuggling.

Although there are several large industries in the Asansol-Durgapur belt, most of them are public sector units that employ a limited number of people. The region’s economy is heavily reliant on Eastern Coalfields Ltd and IISCO in Asansol and Durgapur Steel Plant and Alloy Steels Plant in the twin town.

Several public sector units such as Bharat Ophthalmic Glass Ltd, Mining and Allied Machinery Corporation and Hindustan Cables Ltd are lying closed, worsening the unemployment situation.

The lack of private sector units has only added to the ranks of unemployed youths, forcing them to join the thriving coal pilfering trade.

Since November last year, organised coal smuggling has almost stopped after CBI sleuths raided the house of alleged pilferage kingpin Anup Maji alias Lala in Purulia’s Neturia. Maji, who allegedly used to run the illegal operations, is absconding. The CBI has issued a lookout notice and also appealed for the seizure of his properties.

The Bengal government has ordered a simultaneous CID probe into the allegations of coal smuggling.

The police have increased vigil against smuggling and seized over 100 tonnes of pilfered coal from various areas in West Burdwan last month.

Several villagers involved in coal smuggling appeared to have been swayed by the Trinamul campaign.

“I haven’t had any work since November. I have seven mouths to feed at home. For now, I have been managing by dipping into my savings. But I don’t know what will happen in the near future,” said a villager involved in coal pilfering in Jamuria. “Trinamul leaders have told us that the BJP is responsible for our troubles. From what we have been seeing, that isn’t far from the truth,” the 30-year-old said, adding that he used to earn between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 a month by extracting coal from illegal mines.

Lakshman Ghorui, the West Burdwan unit chief of the BJP, said many residents of Asansol and Durgapur had turned to coal smuggling and illegal mining allegedly because of the state government’s failure to create jobs.

“Both the CPM and Trinamul deprioritised the creation of job opportunities for youths in the coal belt. It is their failure. We will take care of the plight of these people by giving them jobs once we come to power,” Ghorui said.

Trinamul’s West Burdwan unit chief Apurba Mukherjee accused the BJP of having inducted coal pilferers into the party. “Coal smugglers are now the backbone of the BJP, not ours. People know everything,” he said.