Seeking to strike a chord with farmers in East Midnapore’s betel-growing belt, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday promised the establishment of a dedicated betel research centre in Chandipur, while launching a sharp attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over what he described as the state government’s “continued neglect” of Bengal’s traditional agricultural sectors.
Addressing a rally in Chandipur, Mr Shah placed the spotlight on the region’s betel leaf (paan) cultivators, arguing that despite Bengal’s long-standing reputation in betel production, growers have remained outside the ambit of scientific support, market expansion, and policy attention. He said a BJP government at the Centre, in coordination with a future state dispensation, would set up a research facility to study the medicinal and commercial potential of betel leaves, improve productivity, and enhance farmers’ incomes.
“Chandipur’s identity is tied to paan cultivation, yet there has been no serious institutional effort to modernise or support this sector,” Mr Shah said, framing the proposed research centre as a corrective to what he termed years of policy inertia.
The promise was accompanied by a broader critique of the Trinamul Congress government’s handling of the rural economy. Mr Shah alleged that farmers across Bengal continue to struggle with inadequate infrastructure, lack of value addition, and the burden of localised syndicate networks that inflate input costs. He argued that these systemic issues have eroded profitability for small and marginal farmers, including those engaged in betel cultivation.
Without citing specific data, the Union home minister maintained that sectors such as betel, which hold both cultural and economic significance in districts like East Midnapore, have failed to receive targeted interventions under the current state administration. He contrasted this with the BJP’s pitch of integrating traditional crops into formal research and export-oriented frameworks.
Mr Shah also linked the proposed research centre to a wider vision of agricultural diversification and rural employment, suggesting that scientific study of betel’s medicinal properties could open new markets in pharmaceuticals and allied industries. “This is not just about farming; it is about creating an ecosystem where farmers benefit from research, processing, and better pricing,” he said.
The TMC, however, has consistently rejected the BJP’s allegations of neglect, pointing to its own welfare schemes and rural outreach programmes. Party leaders have argued that the Centre has, in fact, withheld funds and failed to support state initiatives, a charge frequently reiterated in the run-up to the Assembly polls.
Even so, Mr Shah’s Chandipur address underscored a calibrated attempt by the BJP to localise its campaign narrative by focusing on region-specific economic concerns, while simultaneously criticising the state government’s record. By foregrounding the betel economy ~ an issue with direct relevance to thousands of farmers in the coastal belt ~ the party appeared to be seeking a more grounded connection beyond its broader themes of identity and national security.
With the first phase of polling approaching, the promise of a betel research centre has added a new dimension to the electoral discourse in this agrarian pocket, where questions of livelihood, market access and institutional support remain central to voter concerns.