There is a design to bring, shelter and help rehabilitate Bangladeshi Muslims into Mamata Banerjee-ruled West Bengal.
"It's more than mere conspiracy", say citizens in Coochbehar-Sitai belt in North Bengal. "There is a system and systematic political patronage". Those entering into Sitai area hardly stay here.
Trinamool operatives with 'necessary patronage' ensure that such illegal immigrants are easily taken to Siliguri and two key Muslim-dominated hubs Murshidabad and Malda.
There are few pockets dominated by Rajbongshi Muslims. They are called Naishya Rajbongshis. Otherwise 'mainstream Bengali Muslims' make it convenient to reach Muslim-strongholds Murshidabad where Hindus are not only in minority; they are also slowly but gradually moving out to 'safer places'.
In 1951, nearly 44.6% of Murshidabad's population was Hindu. Today, that number has dropped below 35.12%.
Muslims in Murshidabad are now around 64 pr cent of voters and the Hindu population which was around 44 per cent in 1951 has nosedived to 35.
In the 1950s, Muslim population in Murshidabad was around 44 percent only.
The refrain in North Bengal region is more often against South Bengal and the administrative set up in Kolkata's Nobanno.
Some Rajbongshi community leaders say ‘Sonar Bangla’ is heading certainly for a path-breaking political battle in the year 2026.
For the people of West Bengal, the coming year symbolises again a battle about hopes and fear. But there is skepticism as well. The hopes of a better Bengal remains a pipe dream for many.
"It is not even a pipe dream... we have stopped dreaming," says a small-time hotelier in Sitai. He is a Hindu Rajbongshi. His refrain is related to local people's anguish over constant negligence of the region by policy makers and administrators in Kolkata.
Several others endorse his views.
"Some years back we thought the BJP will be different. But they have no plan for Coochbehar. Arrogance of their leaders and even party karyakartas led to the defeat of Nisith Pramanik in 2024," says a student.
The Bangladesh border is close to the Sitai and Sitalkuchi areas of Coochbehar district.
Sitai is bordered by Bangladesh to the south and west. Sitalkuchi is also in close proximity to the border.
The Sitai assembly constituency is bordered by Bangladesh to the south and west, specifically by the Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila and Aditmari Upazila of Bangladesh respectively.
Of course the BSF is maintaining a strong vigil in the area. But incidents of attempted infiltration continue unabated largely due to involvement of vested interests. That vested interest is a mix of politics (Trinamool influence) and of course money.
The next year's polls will be the acid test for both Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and even the BJP.
The communists are sidelined. "We stay indoors.... no one wants to court troubles," say local Forward Bloc leaders.
The political polarisation is on rise. The Left and the Congress scored zero in 2021 assembly polls.
In 2024 parliamentary elections; the Left showed some keenness to fight it out again.
They may try to come together yet again. The Lotus party on the other hand is all determined to give Didi a tough fight but looking for good issues.
The BJP has several challenges to handle. One of them is internal groupism.
In 2024, the party's handling of the hyped Sandeshkhali episode failed to resonate with voters.
Many pressing concerns such as alleged land grab by Trinamool leaders were not flagged off by the BJP strategists during elections.
There are two varieties of BJP and RSS leaders in West Bengal including in Coochbehar and other pockets in North Bengal. One is 'original and sons of the soil (Rajbongsis) and the other is turncoats from Trinamool. In 2024, the original BJP/RSS workers were marginalised and this created major setback.
Suvendu Adhikari's functioning style is not acceptable to many, they say. The party leaders are often at dilemma on how to handle 'Bengali Hindu refugee' issue vis-a-vis sons of the soil politics in North Bengal.
The battle will be more challenging in 2026.
ends
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