Kurmis to be kept out of UCC, says West Bengal CM; promises to withdraw old cases

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West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari accused the previous government of creating divisions within the Kurmi community and said his government would fulfil the promises made in its election manifesto. File | Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday (September 20, 2026) said the Kurmi community would be kept outside the ambit of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and announced that cases registered against members of the community during protests under the previous Trinamool Congress government would be withdrawn.

The Kurmis are a prominent community in the State’s Jangalmahal region. They are currently categorised as Other Backward Class and have been demanding the status of Scheduled Tribe (ST).

Members of the Kurmi community had organised road and railway blockades across parts of West Bengal during the previous Trinamool Congress government’s tenure, demanding ST status and inclusion of the Kurmali language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Mr. Adhikari also promised to push for constitutional recognition of the Kurmali and Rajbanshi languages.

The West Bengal government has said it would submit a “Further Common Justification Report” to the Centre to support the inclusion of the Kurmi community in the ST list.

On the UCC, the State government has set up a committee led by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Gopal Desai to work out the modalities for implementing the proposed code in the State. The government has already promised to keep ST out of the ambit of the UCC.

Addressing a Karam festival programme in Purulia, the Chief Minister said that many leaders of the Kurmi community had approached him seeking to keep the community out of the ambit of the UCC.

Mr. Adhikari accused the previous government of creating divisions within the Kurmi community and said his government would fulfil the promises made in its election manifesto.

“The previous government (in West Bengal) created divisions among the Kurmis... It never wanted them to stay united. We will, on the other hand, keep all promises made to the community in our ‘Sankalp Patra’ before this year’s Assembly elections,” he said.

The Chief Minister said people of the region had voted for the BJP over the past several years and assured to protect the region’s language, diversity and natural resources.

Criticising the previous administration, he alleged that it had been “selling hills” and promised that no natural resources would be auctioned under his tenure.

“It is our responsibility to protect the dignity of language, culture, tradition and rights. The previous government was even selling hills! I promised not to let anyone touch any of them. I will not let anyone touch the gifts of nature. No mountain can be auctioned,” he said. Mr. Adhikari also announced an allocation of ₹50 crore for the Kurmi Development Board and said the amount would be increased if necessary.

Several members of the Kurmi community, including prominent leader Ajit Mahato and Purulia BJP MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, attended the festival.