BJP’s ‘betrayal’ exposed, says TMC after Shantanu’s ‘1L Matua names deletion’ remark

Kolkata: After BJP MP and a key leader of the saffron party–linked faction of the Matua Mahasangha, Shantanu Thakur, made a controversial remark that the removal of one lakh Matua names from the electoral rolls could be acceptable if the names of “50 lakh Rohingya, Bangladeshi and Pakistani Muslims” are deleted through the ongoing SIR process, political  reactions intensified.

“If we have to face any problems in extending cooperation to the Centre, we are ready to do that. If one lakh people from my community have to abstain from voting in order to delete the names of 50 lakh Rohingya, Bangladeshi and Pakistani Muslims, it isacceptable,” Thakur said.

Trinamool Congress (TMC), however, attacked Thakur, alleging that the “backstabbing betrayal” of the BJP is exposed in the statement of Thakur. The ruling party also said that it is absolutely “fake” that 50 lakh Rohingyas reside in Bengal.

TMC leader from Bongaon, Prasenjit Ghosh, said: “Thakur had ealier urged the Matuas to apply for citizenship under the CAA, apparently to gain financially from the applications.” He added: “Thakur’s claim of about 50 lakh Rohingyas in Bengal is completely baseless.”

TMC on X wrote: “BJP’s sudden U-turn on the Matua community’s citizenship and Constitutional rights is nothing but a CYNICAL, BACKSTABBING BETRAYAL exposed for the world to see. For years, they dangled the mirage of citizenship like cheap bait in front of our Matua brothers and sisters, CONNING them election after election with honeyed lies, only to stab them in the back the moment the votes were pocketed.

Now, with the Election Commission reduced to their obedient B-team, BJP has rammed through their Silent Invisible Rigging (SIR) abomination in Bengal, forcing millions of Matuas into a humiliating litmus test of citizenship designed to strip them of their rights and erase their votes.” It added: “First, Sukanta Majumdar claimed that granting citizenship to Matuas was a time-taking affair. And now, Shantanu Thakur has declared that it’s PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE if one lakh Matua names are deleted from the electoral rolls. To you, Matuas are expendable fodder, disposable pawns in your power games.”

Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari’s repeated claim that the state hosts one crore Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals was found to be false in the publication of Bengal’s draft electoral rolls.