PM Modi should either give unconditional citizenship to Matuas or quit, says TMC's Abhishek Banerjee

Bongaon: TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to either deliver on his promise of unconditional citizenship to the Matuas or quit his chair.

Banerjee, considered number two in the TMC hierarchy, accused the PM of not delivering on his promises and "toying with the emotions" of the Namashudra Hindu community members who were forced to migrate from Bangladesh without formal travel documents following religious persecution.

Banerjee said, "The PM has spoken about giving unconditional citizenship to the Matuas. Now, if you say they are illegal, then by that logic, you are also illegal too. Today, to apply for citizenship, copies of passport and visa details are required. So, either give unconditional citizenship or step down from the chair." The TMC MP made his accusations while standing in the inner sanctum of the Harichand-Guruchand temples at Takurnagar in Bongaon, the citadel of the Matua Mahasangha and the fountainhead of the community's religion.

"The Prime Minister, from his previous rallies in Ranaghat or Bongaon, has not fulfilled even a single promise he made. The widening of NH-12 till Baro Jagulia is still incomplete. The Kalyani AIIMS is also not fully functional," the leader further alleged.

Following his public meeting at Taherpur in Nadia, Banerjee moved to the adjacent Bongaon area of North 24 Parganas district and visited the Thakurnagar temples where he offered prayers before Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur, 19th Century social reformers and founders of the Matua sect.

He was flanked by Mamatabala Thakur, TMC Rajya Sabha MP and Matua Mahasangha leader representing the Trinamool-leaning wing of the vertically divided first family of the sect, the other wing of which is currently spearheaded by the local BJP MP and junior Union minister Shantanu Thakur.

Banerjee's visit to the region, considered a BJP stronghold in light of the saffron party's electoral dividends in the past few elections, was considered significant, owing to perceived disenfranchisement anxieties within community members over the ongoing SIR exercise in the state.

Matuas are believed to hold a considerable electoral sway over some 70 assembly seats across West Bengal where elections are due in a few months.

Initial resistance from Shantanu Thakur over Banerjee's visit, after he stated that the TMC leader "will not be allowed" to enter the Matua Thakurbari to offer prayers if he arrived with a heavy force, also heightened local tensions. Thakur later softened his stand saying he didn't mind if Banerjee concentrated on offering prayers without displaying political might.

"Everyone has the right to come here. Whenever I come here, I come with respect," Banerjee said, adding, "We do not believe in political violence, coercion, or force. That is why I silently prayed to Sri Sri Harichand Thakur that even if I am not allowed to enter the temple, He will give the answer from wherever He is." Unwilling to "talk politics while standing on holy ground", Banerjee, when asked about prevailing fears of name removal from electoral rolls, said that the BJP must answer why it "politically exploited the emotions of the Matuas and then betrayed them".

"I dare the BJP to come with their development report card, stating what their government at the Centre has done for the people of this subdivision or district, and then knock on people's door for votes, like we have been doing by submitting the report card of the Mamata Banerjee government," he said.