The Trinamool Congress (TMC) launched a sharp counterattack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, accusing him of showing indifference towards the pressing concerns of the Matua community while criticizing the West Bengal government's administration. The rebuttal came hours after the Prime Minister, addressing a public meeting, slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led government over allegations of "non-development" and "jungle raj."
Matua Community's Citizenship Fears Ignored, Alleges TMC
At a press conference, West Bengal Education Minister and senior TMC leader Bratya Basu spearheaded the party's response. He claimed that the Matua community in districts like Nadia and North 24 Parganas was anxiously awaiting reassurance from the Prime Minister regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Over 58.20 lakh names have been excluded statewide after the first phase of this drive.
"The Matuas were waiting to hear from the Prime Minister whether this SIR exercise would force them back to Bangladesh," Basu stated. "He could have visited Krishnanagar to address their fears directly, but he chose not to. This is because he had no concrete reassurance to offer them." The Matuas are a Dalit Hindu refugee community that migrated from Bangladesh over decades, facing religious persecution. The voter roll revision has triggered fresh anxiety about their citizenship status.
Countering the 'Jungle Raj' Allegation
Directly addressing PM Modi's "jungle raj" remark, which drew a contrast with Bihar, Bratya Basu turned the tables on the BJP. He asserted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's governance in Bengal was robust and that such comparisons were invalid. "It is the BJP that wishes to import 'jungle raj' into West Bengal," he alleged.
Basu cited law and order conditions in BJP-ruled states as the real examples of such governance failure. "We are aware of the situation for Dalits and journalists in those states. In Uttar Pradesh alone, several journalists have been killed, their bodies dumped, or they have been summoned to police stations and physically tortured. These incidents epitomize the true meaning of 'jungle raj'," the TMC leader claimed.
TMC Leaders Accuse BJP of Misleading Matuas
Joining the offensive, TMP MP Mamata Bala Thakur accused BJP parliamentarians Sukanta Majumdar and Shantanu Thakur of deliberately misleading the Matua community. She charged them with making false promises regarding citizenship through the SIR process and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) forms.
"They repeatedly claimed that 1.5 crore Rohingyas and Muslims would be removed from the rolls. However, the data reveals that voter deletions have disproportionately affected constituencies with a high Matua population, not predominantly Muslim areas," Thakur stated. She emphasized that Chief Minister Banerjee stands with the followers of Harichand and Guruchand Thakur who crossed over to India seeking refuge.
In a pointed remark, Basu also questioned the Prime Minister's perceived indifference following the deaths of three BJP supporters earlier in the day. "The least he could have done was to express some grief. Why this indifference? Is it because they were Bengali? Would the response have been identical if this had occurred in Gujarat?" he asked.
TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya further criticized the Prime Minister's decision to deliver a political speech from the airport premises. "The airport falls under the Civil Aviation Ministry. Is it appropriate to make a political address from there? Perhaps he should resign now," she remarked. She also challenged the BJP to provide proof that the Bengal government was obstructing development work in the state, calling the allegations "absolutely meaningless."
