Jemimah withdraws from WBBL, stays back to support Smriti Mandhana
Rodrigues had returned home after the Heat’s match against the Hobart Hurricanes under a pre-arranged agreement linked to personal commitments.
The All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) has extended full support to the indefinite “Rail Teka, Dahar Cheka” (Stop the Railways, Block the Roads) agitation called by the Kurmi community from September 20 across Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha.
The party announced that its MPs, MLAs, and workers will join the agitation, and district-level in-charges have been appointed across the three states to coordinate the movement. Giridih MP Chandraprakash Choudhary will oversee mobilisation in Bokaro and Giridih, Mandu MLA Nirmal Mahto in Ramgarh, Hazaribagh, and Chatra, Hare Lal Mahto in East and West Singhbhum, and Dr. Lambodar Mahto in Bokaro. In Santhal Parganas, Sanjeev Mahto will take charge. AJSU has also appointed in-charges in all 24 districts of Jharkhand as well as in parts of Bengal and Odisha.
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The party recalled that Jharkhand leaders N.E. Horo, Ramdayal Munda, and Shibu Soren had supported the inclusion of Kurmis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list, while 46 MPs and MLAs, including Hemant Soren and Irfan Ansari, had extended written support during Raghubar Das’s tenure as Chief Minister. AJSU leaders said the current opposition to the demand was unjustified.
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The party reiterated two central demands: restoration of the Kurmi community in the ST list, citing historical recognition as an aboriginal tribe, and inclusion of the Kurmali language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Leaders argued that the removal of Kurmis from the ST list after 1931 was an act of historical injustice. They referred to government notifications of 1913 and 1931, along with census records of that period, which had listed Kurmis among the Scheduled Tribes.
According to AJSU, the Kurmi community shares cultural and livelihood traits with other recognised tribes, including traditions and agricultural practices. The party declared that the agitation will continue indefinitely until the demands are fulfilled, describing it as a struggle for constitutional rights and dignity.
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