Shantanu Thakur: Champion of Matuas and Key BJP Leader in West Bengal

Shantanu Thakur, a second-term BJP MP from Bangaon, West Bengal and prominent Matua community leader, was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Union cabinet. Thakur has been a staunch advocate of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), asserting its importance for granting citizenship to the Matua community, despite opposition attacks.

Shantanu Thakur, a second-time BJP MP from West Bengal's Bangaon Lok Sabha constituency, has been inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Union cabinet on Sunday. As a leading figure of the backward Matua community in the North 24 Parganas district, Thakur continues to be a staunch advocate of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), implemented since 2019. Thakur asserts the act will grant 'legal citizenship' to members of the Matua community.

Thakur has actively sought to dispel confusion among the Matuas regarding the application process for citizenship under the CAA, facing robust opposition from parties including the TMC. He emphasized that while Aadhaar cards do not provide constitutional citizenship to the Matuas, the CAA aims to rectify this.

Highlighting the significance of the CAA, Thakur has maintained that no opposition leader, including Mamata Banerjee, can safeguard the Matua community during potential NRC exercises in the future. The Matuas, originally from East Pakistan, are a marginalized Hindu community that migrated to India during the Partition and after the creation of Bangladesh due to religious persecution.

First elected to the Lok Sabha from Bongaon in 2019, Thakur emerged victorious again in 2024. He had previously been at odds with rival Matua leader Mamatabala Thakur, defeating her in 2019 after she won the 2015 by-elections. Entering politics in 2015, Thakur initially lost the Bangaon Lok Sabha bypolls but succeeded in his second attempt in 2019.

Appointed as the MoS for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways in 2021 by Modi, Thakur has since dedicated efforts toward harnessing the network of navigable waterways and enhancing port infrastructure in the east, including Bengal. Despite party stalwarts like former Union minister Nisith Pramanik and Dilip Ghosh experiencing defeats, Thakur retained his seat by 73,693 votes.

Even amid strong campaigns by the TMC questioning his nationality, Thakur, the president of the All India Matua Mahasangha, retained overwhelming support in his constituency.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)