Dilip Ghosh, BJP state president asked Chatradhar Mahato to leave TMC and join BJP.

This is surprising given that BJP leaders like Dilip Ghosh had time and again castigated Trinamool Congress for inducting Maoist leaders into the TMC fold. Taking a sharp U-turn, likely in a bid to up the ante for the upcoming Bengal polls, Dilip Ghosh asked the former Maoist leader Chatradhar Mahato to leave TMC and join BJP.

BJP state president stated that the saffron party would give Mahato respect, instead of the fooling treatment given by TMC. Dilip Ghosh added in his tirade of blames that Mamata Banerjee has betrayed the Adivasi-Mahato community and that people like Mahato should switch to BJP.

Who is Mahato

Chhatradhar Mahato, who had emerged from non-mainstream politics and had led a successful people’s movement, was released from jail in February 2020. In September 2012, Calcutta High Court had granted Chhatradhar political prisoner status along with 8 other activists. This ruling made the then government at centre consider challenging the decision, as they feared that more naxalites would seek ‘political prisoner’ status. High Court had convicted Mahato under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) along with other three PCPA members-Sukhshanti Baske, Sambhu Soren, and Sagun Murmu and had sentenced them life imprisonment on May 12, 2015.

Mahato as the main leader of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA), was arrested in 2009 for building up a movement against the CPI(M) with the help of the outlawed Maoist party. He was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Opposing police excesses in Jhargram district, he had led a tribal movement that catapulted him to prominence. At one point, he allegedly coordinated with the Maoists on one hand and the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) leaders on the other, to build up resistance against the CPI(M) government. Despite being in jail, Mr. Mahato had contested in the 2011 Assembly polls and had bagged nearly 20,000 votes, which was an indication of his popularity in Jangalmahal.

However, following his arrest and the killing of Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswara Rao (Kishenji), the people’s movement in the western districts of Bengal has fizzled out. The TMC also partially lost grip in the backward tribal areas of Jhargram and Purulia.

Importance of his area of influence

In the panchayat poll of 2018, the BJP had bagged 42% and 33% seats in Jhargram and the adjacent Purulia respectively, far higher than its State average of 18%. In the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, the TMC lost both the Jhargram and Purulia seats to the BJP and even the adjacent ones, partly dominated by the tribals.

In this context, many in the area believe that Mr. Mahato can play a significant role in the political future of the area. It was also guessed that he may form a party which can pull a percentage of anti-TMC tribal votes, which in the last elections went to the BJP. This may be a reason why he was pulled into TMC after his release and now being asked by BJP to switch to the saffron party.

It is well-known that BJP is trying tooth and nail to try and isolate TMC on areas like Jangalmahal, issues related to minority appeasement, the influx of Bangladeshis into West Bengal, and policies like CAA, NRC, and NPR. In late October, Bimal Gurung had switched to support TMC in North Bengal, and recently AIMIM state unit chief-Anwar Shah has joined TMC, much to the chagrin of BJP. Therefore, the saffron party is trying to increase its area of influence in Tribal areas to counter such loss. Dilip Ghosh’s attempt to pull in Chatradhar Mahato indicates the level of desperation of BJP to win the Bengal polls next year.