West Bengal elections: PM Modi woos Matua heartland with CAA promise, 'infiltrator' warning ahead of phase two of polling

In an attempt to woo the Matuas, a Hindu minority community in West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the Thakurbari Temple before embarking on his public meeting at Thakurnagar in the North 24 Parganas district on Sunday. 

Thakurbari, in Bongaon, has a sizeable Matua population that migrated to West Bengal from Bangladesh after facing religious persecution. Other Matua-dominated places include the South 24 Parganas and Nadia districts.

BJP MP Shantanu Thakur is the face of the Matua community, while TMC MP Mamata Bala Thakur is the ruling party’s Matua leader.

Comprising around 17 per cent of the state's population, the Matua community plays a deciding factor for about 50 Assembly seats in the state. After the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) saw several deletions, PM Modi’s visit to Thakurbari aimed to soothe fears of the Hindu minority community.

The support of the Matua community played an important role in the rise of the BJP in the state during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The saffron party has been encouraging the Matuas to apply for citizenship status using the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

“Those who speak about removing CAA, can they think about your well-being?” questioned the PM while referring to the TMC opposing the CAA.

“If anybody votes for the TMC by mistake, it will hurt their (the Matuas) ancestors.” 

The PM went on to speak about infiltrators, creating a demarcation between illegal immigrants and those who were living in the state with legal documents.

“Today from Bongaon, I want to fearlessly give a warning. Those who have entered Bengal illegally, those who are living here with fake documents, they should leave Bengal and India before April 29th. Else after May 4, every infiltrator will be chased away,” the PM added.

He also spoke about his visit to Orakandi in Bangladesh a few years ago, which is the Matua community’s founder Sri Sri Harichand Thakur’s birthplace, and considered as the pilgrimage site of the Matua community. 

Terming it a unique experience, the PM spoke about the opportunity to offer prayers at the temple.

“I remember when I went to seek Boro Maa’s blessings, her love enriched me ... I relived those precious moments once again, I got the opportunity to offer prayers at Thakurbari temple before coming here," reminisced the PM, saying that the experience of offering prayers to the founders of the Matua community would always stay with him. 

After his next public meeting in the Howrah district, PM Modi was also seen offering prayers at the three-centuries-old Thanthania Kalibari temple in North Kolkata later in the day, where Ramakrishna Paramahansa is said to have frequented to worship Goddess Kali in her form of Goddess Siddeshwari. 

Modi then embarked on his 2km roadshow from the BK Pal Avenue to Khanna crossing, while wooing voters, and campaigning for two BJP candidates.

Standing atop a saffron vehicle with the lotus symbol, donned with flowers too, chants of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ could also be heard. 

Though the TMC terms BJP as the outsiders, the saffron party is sending out a strong message.

From the rural Matua heartland to the urban pockets of Kolkata, PM Modi is within the masses’ reach across the length and breadth of Mamata’s West Bengal.