Rajbanshi People and the Need to Improve their Political Participation
Political participation, as we understand is that all those activities relating to state governance which people carry out, voices they raise, opinions they express and take part in decision making which affect their lives. When, it comes to Rajbanshi group of people (all communities having different surnames but speaking same language - Kamtapuri / Rajbanshi and having same social habits) of North Bengal and adjacent areas of Lower Assam, Northern districts Bihar and neighbouring countries of Nepal and Bangladesh, undoubtedly their political participation does exist, but that can be said to be in subdued form. Their total population across these contiguously located countries and states is almost two crores (20 million) and, in North Bengal of West Bengal state alone (where they are categorized as scheduled caste (SC) are no less than seventy lakhs (7 million). To save these people from further becoming politically alienated from the mainstream political system, immediate politica