Political Tug-of-War Over Matua Community Amid SIR Controversy

Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accuses the BJP and TMC of using West Bengal's Matua community as a vote bank without supporting them through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Chowdhury demands parliamentary discussion on the issue, claiming disenfranchisement risks for many Matuas.

In a fierce political showdown, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has accused both the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of exploiting the Matua community in West Bengal for electoral gains. Chowdhury alleges that both parties have failed to support the community amidst the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Leading a rally of thousands of Matuas, Chowdhury claimed the BJP had forced many Matuas in North 24 Parganas and Nadia to undergo the SIR exercise despite having valid citizenship documents. He insisted that there is a conspiracy to erase the Matuas from voter lists, leaving their future uncertain, as neither BJP nor TMC intervened when Matua Mahasangha members held an indefinite fast in early November.

Chowdhury demanded that the matter be discussed in the upcoming winter parliamentary session, criticizing TMC and BJP for their inaction. He further accused the TMC of hypocrisy regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Act and supporting BJP moves to control Waqf bodies. Meanwhile, BJP's Suvendu Adhikari reassured the Matuas that their names would remain on the electoral rolls, attributing the community's development to the central government.

(With inputs from agencies.)