KOLKATA: Following a clash between rival factions of the Matua community backing the Trinamool Congress and BJP, Thakurnagar in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district fears further violence ahead of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s scheduled visit on January 9.
Abhishek is set to offer prayers at the Thakurnagar temple of Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur, prompting a faction of the Matua community led by Shantanu Thakur, Union minister of state for shipping and a BJP MP from Bongaon, a Matua-dominated belt in North 24 Parganas, to protest against the TMC leader’s programme.
Shantanu has already issued a threat, saying, “Matuas won’t allow Abhishek to enter Thakurnagar if he comes with a heavy police force. He does not need to show any solidarity with them during the process to revise the electoral rolls.”
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Mamatabala Thakur hit back, saying, “There will be a bloodbath if anybody prevents Abhishek from entering Thakurnagar where he is scheduled to offer prayers at the temple of Harichand and Guruchand Thakur.”
Sukesh Gyne, general secretary of the Matua Mahasangha, told reporters, “Thakurbari is for all Matuas and thousands of devotees where they gather to offer prayers. People cutting across religious and political affiliations can come to the Thakurbari temple. Shantanu Thakur should not think that the Thakurbari temple is his personal property. People will strongly protest if anybody prevents Abhishek Banerjee from visiting Thakurbari.”
As the countdown for assembly polls in the state begins, competition to win over the Matuas has become a major flashpoint for all political parties as the community forms a significant vote bank.
The row comes against the backdrop of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Unprecedented violence between the rival Matua groups had rocked Thakurnagar, administrative headquarters of the community, a week ago after a comment by Shantanu on the deletion of Matua voters from the electoral rolls in districts like Nadia and North 24 Parganas, two strong citadels of the BJP.
Shantanu had said that if one lakh Matua voters were excluded from the draft electoral rolls, the community should endure the “sacrifice” as the names of many more 'illegal' Muslim voters would be deleted, triggering anxiety in the Matua community and a fierce political confrontation ahead of the polls scheduled for next year.
Several hundred Matuas belonging to the Mamatabala faction had marched in protest to the Union minister’s house in Thakurnagar demanding a clarification over the comment.
“Deletions of such a huge number of Matua voters ahead of the assembly polls appear to be a bone of contention with the BJP which had enjoyed a phenomenal rise with the help of the Matua vote bank in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the party had bagged 18 seats in Bengal. That’s why this will be one of the prime issues on the agenda in Amit Shah’s meetings with party leaders,” a political analyst said.