Amit Shah's Bengal Visit: ISKCON Event, Sanatan Values, and Political Outreach
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to arrive in West Bengal on Wednesday, with a confirmed visit to Mayapur. This trip was arranged following Shah's meeting with Suvendu Adhikari, the state's Leader of the Opposition, in Delhi.
Spiritual and Cultural Engagement in Mayapur
At the ISKCON temple in Mayapur, Shah is expected to participate in the 152nd birth anniversary celebrations of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, the founder of Gaudiya Math. The event will be attended by spiritual leaders and members of the Gaudiya Vaishnava community. During his address, Shah is likely to emphasize the relevance of Sanatan values in contemporary society, highlighting their enduring importance.
Political Context and Previous Visits
This visit comes just two weeks after Shah's last trip to the state, where he attended party workers' meetings in Barrackpore and Siliguri. In those gatherings, he addressed concerns within the Matua community and Namasudras, who fear disenfranchisement following the State Identification Register (SIR) exercise. Shah reassured them, stating that Matuas and Namasudras need not be afraid, and nobody can touch their votes.
The Matua community and Namasudras have a significant population in areas around Mayapur, making this region a focal point for political campaigns. In past elections, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have visited Mayapur, with the BJP aiming to strengthen its pro-Hindu and anti-infiltrator narrative. This area is home to lakhs of people displaced from Bangladesh due to religious persecution.
Ongoing Political Campaigns and Allegations
More than 40 affiliate organizations of the Sangh Parivar have initiated statewide door-to-door campaigns against illegal Bangladeshi infiltration, accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of protecting infiltrators for vote bank politics. Both Modi and Shah have echoed these accusations in their rallies, criticizing the TMC's approach.
On Monday, Suvendu Adhikari highlighted issues with voter identity fabrication, posting on X that false birth certificates are being issued across Bengal. He described these practices as despicable and orchestrated to undermine the SIR exercise by flooding the system with fake documents.
Bengal BJP leaders met Shah in New Delhi on February 9, requesting his visit to Kolkata, which has now been scheduled as part of this broader engagement in the state.
