Guwahati, Feb 11: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday killed two birds with one arrow by taking Ananta Rai who is a self-proclaimed king of Koch Rajbongshi plain tribes of northern West Bengal and western Assam – the two poll-bound states this summer — into National Democratic Alliance’s confidence during his visit at the latter’s residence in Chirang district, Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam.

Shah, along with BJP Member of Parliament for West Bengal’s Cooch Behar Nisith Pramanik, NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma and Assam state BJP president Ranjit Dass held an hour-long meeting with Rai at his residence.

“I cannot delve into the details of the meeting but, all I can say as of now, is that good times for the Koch Rajbongshi people are coming,” Rai, exhorting his support to the ruling NDA government, said moments after the meeting on Thursday afternoon.

Rai was on 1998 bestowed with Maharaja by Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association (GCPA), an organisation that believes the Cooch Behar includes the northern Bengal and western Assam. Rai, who has certain clout among Koch voters in both the states claims to have about 18.5 lakh supporters in Assam and West Bengal and had on Thursday agreed to “extend support” in both the states.

Shah’s Thursday meeting with him is being considered as an attempt to pacify the Koch people miffed with the West Bengal government where they believe they should not have been included in the first place, and in Assam over the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and over the grant of scheduled tribes status.

The GCPA, that Rai heads now, advocates Cooch Behar was illegally included in West Bengal and inclusion was against the treaty signed by Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan, on August 28, 1949, with the government of India.

There also had been an ongoing feud between the Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress and the Koch leadership evident from the fact that Nisith Pramanik — present at Thursday’s meeting — was an exiled TMC leader who contested for BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and that Anant Rai — on his own admittance — had to flee to Assam fearing “wrath of Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal Chief Minister”.

In Assam, there are about 6.9 million Koch people spread over 15 districts with more concentrated in Bongaigaon district and parts of Bodoland region.

They had vehemently opposed CAA in 2019, but after centre decided that CAA would not be implemented in Bodoland region and Sonowal govt promising a separate council for the Rajbonshis of Assam, their opposition to CAA has diluted.

Koch was one of the six plain tribes along with Tai Ahom, Chutia, Maran, Matak and Adivasi, demanding for ST status in Assam. All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) was spearheading their demands. Currently, they are OBC/MOBC.

Hinting a scheduled tribe status on the card, a seemingly elated Rai after the meeting, said, “The Home Minister had assured centre to notify Koch Rajbongshis as indigenous people of Assam”.

Koch Rajbongshi were from the mediaeval era Koch Dynasty that was spread over Assam, West Bengal and current Bangladesh.

With Scheduled Tribe status on the card, the Koch votes may swing on the BJP’s favour.