WEST BENGAL : Four years ago, Kalita Majhi spent her days cleaning utensils and sweeping floors in seven households in West Bengal’s Purba Bardhaman district. Today, the woman who still earns Rs 2,500 a month as a domestic help has taken oath as a minister in Bengal’s first BJP government. The journey from a thatched house in Guskara to the state cabinet is one that even Kalita never imagined.
When the BJP fielded her from the Ausgram Assembly constituency in the 2021 elections, she was living in a mud-and-thatch dwelling with her husband, mother-in-law and only son. She dreamt of building a pucca house where the family could shift for a better life. But the dream remained unrealised. Her earnings as a domestic help were barely enough to sustain the family, let alone build a permanent home.
Today, Kalita’s life has changed dramatically. She won the Ausgram seat by more than 12,000 votes against her nearest Trinamool Congress rival in the recent Assembly elections and was sworn in as a Minister of State in Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s cabinet. Her portfolio is expected to be announced shortly.
Kalita was among the 35 BJP MLAs administered the oath of office by Governor R N Ravi as ministers in the state’s first BJP government, taking the cabinet’s strength to 41.
Majhi said she was overwhelmed by the responsibility that now rests on her shoulders.
“I am overjoyed that Modiji has brought me to this position. I could never have imagined that I would become an MLA, let alone a minister. I have been working for the Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014.
When I was first elected as an MLA, my focus was on how to work for people with more intensity and dedication,” she said. Kalita said she became an active BJP worker in 2014 when the Narendra Modi-led government came to power at the Centre.
“In the 2021 Assembly elections, my party nominated me as a candidate from the Ausgram seat. I used to work as a domestic help in seven families till I contested the election. Our Prime Minister had appreciated me during a poll rally in 2021, but I could not win the battle,” she recalled. Even after entering public life, Kalita has continued working as a domestic help.
“Now, I work as a domestic help in two families and earn Rs 2,500 per month. I wanted to stop the work owing to busy schedules like attending election campaigns and other party programmes since I was fielded as a candidate from Ausgram this time,” she said. The call informing her that she would become a minister came as a complete surprise.
“I could never imagine that I would be made a minister. On Sunday night, just a day before the oath-taking ceremony at Lok Bhaban on Monday, my sister-in-law Rupa Bag informed me about my ministerial post,” she said.
“I have struggled against poverty throughout my life and have won the battle. My husband Subrata Majhi is a plumber and my only son is a Class XII student. Being a minister, I would also continue my struggle for the betterment of society without corruption. As a woman legislator-cum-minister, I would also fight for women’s empowerment,” she said. Yet, the trappings of power remain unfamiliar.
“I don’t know what kind of financial and other benefits a minister gets. I am a little concerned about getting a car as a minister. I still reach out to people in my constituency riding a motorbike owned by a worker from my party and try to understand their problems. The previous Trinamool Congress government did nothing for them during its 15-year regime. It has only cheated poor people. I am thankful to the Prime Minister, CM Suvendu Adhikari and my party leadership for giving me an opportunity to work for the people,” Kalita said. The memory of her first visit to the Assembly remains vivid.
“I was nervous when I visited the Assembly for the first time as an MLA. I had never seen such a palatial building like the Assembly House. I joined politics because my father-in-law and mother-in-law had encouraged me to do something for people. It was a dream for me, particularly because I belong to such a poor family,” she said. Despite her rise in politics, Kalita admits she remains detached from political developments. “I have no interest in political developments,” she said with a laugh.
At home in Guskara, her mother-in-law Sandhya Majhi remembers the man she believes set Kalita on the path to public life. “Her father-in-law used to encourage her to join politics. He always wanted Kalita to do something for society,” she said.
For Kalita, the moment is bittersweet because the person who inspired her political journey is no longer alive to witness it.