6 months ago
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Leader of Opposition successful West Bengal Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Suvendu Adhikari connected Monday said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “will not get the Matua Namashudra vote”, hours aft Ms. Banerjee led a rally astatine the the Matua heartland successful North 24 Parganas opposing the Special Intensive Revision of the State’s voters list.
“Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur established the Matua assemblage to support Sanatana dharma nether unit of spiritual conversion. After 1945, the Matua’s ongoing combat came to a decision successful 2019, erstwhile Prime Minister Modi came to Thakurnagar… and promised citizenship rights to the Bangladeshi Hindu refugees who came present to flight spiritual persecution,” Mr. Adhikari said astatine a BJP rally successful West Bengal’s Birbhum.
The Matua sect, comprising Namashudra Hindus, was founded astatine Orakandi successful present-day Bangladesh successful the precocious 19th century. Since 1947, the Matuas migrated from Bangladesh and settled down successful West Bengal, mostly successful borderline districts similar the North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Howrah, Cooch Behar and Malda.
In 2019, the transition of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) — which facilitates citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from neighbouring countries — created ripples wrong the community, with BJP’s Shantanu Thakur of the Matua sect winning the Bongaon Lok Sabha spot some successful 2019 and 2024.
Currently, the BJP is operating hundreds of ‘CAA camps’ successful these regions amidst the ongoing SIR, encouraging Matuas and different Bangladeshi Hindu refugees to use for citizenship nether CAA for eventual inclusion successful West Bengal’s electoral rolls. Conversely, successful the anti-SIR rally connected Tuesday (November 25, 2025), the Chief Minister warned Matua voters of inadvertently getting disqualified from the electorate by declaring themselves arsenic foreigners nether the CAA.
“In the past 3 days, 500 certificates person been issued nether the CAA. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are determination for Hindu refugees… [Mamata Banerjee] should person begged for forgiveness from the Matua assemblage for opposing the CAA and their close to citizenship,” said Mr. Adhikari.
‘West Bengal Police advancing Trinamool agenda’
Mr. Adhikari besides wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar connected Tuesday (November 25, 2025), accusing State constabulary officials of being affiliated to Trinamool and demanding the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) “to guarantee neutrality” successful upcoming Assembly polls successful 2026.
The LoP cited instances from a “Second State Conference of Women Police Personnel” reportedly organized by the West Bengal Police Welfare Committee connected November 22, 2025, astatine Digha, Purba Medinipur district, where, helium alleged, a fewer high-ranking constabulary officials had vocalised their enactment for a 4th Chief Ministerial word for Ms. Banerjee pursuing the 2026 polls.
“Over 1000+ constabulary unit from some the Kolkata Police and the West Bengal Police, on with different 1000+ civic constabulary volunteers, are actively progressive successful governmental enactment for the TMC Party nether the banner of this alleged Welfare Committee. These members person been straight entangling with the TMC, attending governmental rallies specified arsenic the “Sahid Dibas” portion wearing TMC T-shirts, conducting property conferences connected behalf of the party, and adjacent coaching household members of constabulary unit for holding partisan media engagements,” Mr. Adhikari alleged successful his letter.
He besides accused the West Bengal Police Welfare Committee of booth jamming, rigging, threatening and intimidating Opposition enactment cadres and constabulary unit unwilling to prosecute successful specified activities.
In his letter, Mr. Adhikari urged the Chief Election Commissioner to “initiate a thorough probe into the West Bengal Police Welfare Committee’s activities and its affiliations with the TMC, including the relation of serving officers successful partisan events”. He besides demanded the suspension of and disciplinary enactment against constabulary officers progressive successful ‘partisan activities’.
“While an on-duty serviceman cannot marque governmental statements, the constabulary person the close to transportation retired activities arsenic a federation oregon union. So, the speeches made successful an lawsuit by the Police Welfare Committee should not interest Mr. Adhikari. Secondly, helium is throwing stones from wrong a solid house. These accusations should not beryllium made by a enactment that politicises the Indian Army,” Trinamool Congress spokesperson Arup Chakraborty told The Hindu.
