Shantanu Thakur’s ‘ok with deletion of 1 lakh Matua names’ comment triggers clashes, escalates tension

Kolkata: Amid heightened tensions over the recent remark of BJP MP Shantanu Thakur that one lakh Matuas could lose voting rights as a “necessary sacrifice” during the revision of electoral rolls, a clash broke out on Wednesday between two rival Matua groups affiliated to Shantanu Thakur and Trinamool Congress(TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Mamatabala Thakur in Thakurnagar.

Several Matuas were injured in the violence, following which a large police contingent rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

Shantanu at a BJP meeting on Monday night said that removal of names of one lakh Matuas from electoral rolls can be accepted, if the ongoing SIR process ensures the deletion of names of “50 lakh Rohingyas, Bangladeshi and Pakistani Muslims”. Following his remarks, internal conflict within the Matuas seems to be escalating.

Mamatabala, who is the leader of Matua Mahasangha’s Trinamool faction, on Wednesday accused Shantanu of attacking the Matua members under Trinamool’s fold with “hired goons”. Around 4-5 people have been injured, one of whom was critically injured in the attack, Mamatabala alleged. Several supporters belonging to the Mamatabala’s faction brought out a protest procession and marched towards the Union minister Shantanu’s residence, demanding clarification over his comments as they triggered anxiety within the Matua community.

There are concerns within the state BJP over the fallout among Matua voters. BJP MLA Subrata Thakur, brother of Shantanu Thakur, has called for fast-track hearings of Citizenship (Amendment) Act applications to ensure citizenship and voter enrolment for eligible members of the community.

Incidentally, a conflict broke out earlier this year between Shantanu Thakur and his elder brother, Gaighata BJP MLA Subrata Thakur, over the issuance of caste certificates and Matua cards under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Subrata accused Shantanu of depriving genuine Matua community members of benefits and of irregularities in issuing caste certificates. Shantanu had dismissed the charges as politically motivated.

Regarding Wednesday’s incident, it was alleged that followers of Shantanu attacked the protesters when they attempted to reach his house, triggering a scuffle between the two groups. Mamatabala on the issue said: “BJP has been duping the Matuas by making false promises. Why did the BJP leadership organise camps and distribute cards assuring them that it would help include names of Matua voters on the electoral rolls?”

She added: “The conspiracy of Shantanu Thakur and the BJP to delete one lakh Matua voters’ names has come to light through his statement.” Shantanu has, however, already acknowledged the likelihood of a large number of Matua voters being dropped from the electoral roll and reiterated that applying for citizenship under the amended citizenship law was, in his view, the only solution to resolve what he described as the identity crisis of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, including the Matuas.

Thakur was accused of issuing religious eligibility certificates for Rs 100, which Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had dubbed as a “big fraud” that could lead to genuine voters being delisted. It was alleged that religious certificates were being issued by the BJP’s Matua faction in exchange for assurances of citizenship under the CAA. Incidentally, the names of over 86,175 people belonging to the Matua community in four Assembly constituencies under Bongaon subdivision were removed from the draft rolls. “Posing as the so-called guardians of the Matua community, the @BJP4India is now brazenly erasing them from the voters’ list. Adding insult to injury, Union Minister Shantanu Thakur shamelessly declares, “This much will have to be tolerated!” Trinamool Congress wrote on X. The Matua community—a sect of Namashudra Hindus who migrated from erstwhile East Pakistan (Bangladesh) to West Bengal after 1947—has been considered electorally inclined towards the saffron party, with the BJP winning the Lok Sabha seat twice consecutively.