Good times ahead for Koch community: Exiled 'Maharaj' Ananta Rai after meeting Amit Shah

 

CHIRANG: "Good times are coming for the Koch-Rajbongshi community", said Ananta Rai, who is the self-proclaimed king of Cooch Behar and descendent of the royal Koch Rajbongshi family that ruled over parts of Assam and West Bengal.

 

Addressing newspersons outside his residence, where he met Shah and other prominent leaders of the ruling dispensation, 'Maharaj' exuded hope that the long-pending demands of the community will be fulfilled "very soon." Rai, however, refused to disclose

 

Asked about the granting of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the community, which has been carrying out agitations in demand of the same, Rai said, "Everything will be happening. In all, I can say that good times are coming for the Koch-Rajbongshi community."

 

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It needs mention here that the Koch-Rajbangshis are one of the six communities in Assam that are demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Since the BJP had promised to grant that, discussion on it is also likely during Shah’s meeting with Rai.

 

Rai, who heads a faction of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association (GCPA), holds massive sway over the Koch-Rajbongshi population of Assam and West Bengal, where they cumulatively number around 18.5 lakh.

 

The Union home minister who visited Assam on January 24 and addressed two rallies doesn’t have any other engagement during this visit.