A small section of the Matua community, said to be the votebank of the BJP, is now seeking an alternative in the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.
Refugees from Bangladesh, they are now apparently worried about the proposed special intensive revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bengal of the allegedly compromised Election Commission, sources said.
At least 25 Matua delegates from a BJP-leaning faction went to Bihar to meet Rahul on August 30 during his march against “vote chori”.
This meeting was facilitated by Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
The Matua community form about 35 per cent of the electorate in Bongaon (North 24-Parganas) and Ranaghat (Nadia). Sizeable Matua populations are also settled in Jalpaiguri, Krishnagar, East Burdwan, and in pockets of Barasat, Alipurduar, Joynagar and Raiganj.
Chowdhury said the group’s initiative to meet Rahul was spontaneous.
“Initially, these Matua team members met our leader Ketan Jaiswal. Later they met me and said they have no faith either in the BJP or Trinamool Congress regarding the SIR. So they want to work with the Congress,” he said.
Asked why this Matua group apparently wished to distance themselves from the BJP and Trinamool, Chowdhury said it was “sheer disillusionment”.
“Matua community members are largely disillusioned both with the BJP and Trinamool. They were used by both parties for electoral interest. But now they have realised how they were cheated. So they believed the Congress could rescue them from the looming dangers of SIR and citizenship parameters,” said Chowdhury.
Despite Chowdhury’s advice to meet the Congress state unit chief Subhankar Sarkar first, the Matua group insisted on meeting Rahul directly, prompting him to set it up.
The meeting was finally held on the morning of August 30 in Ekma village of Saran, Bihar, at Rahul’s transit camp.
Congress sources said that after the Matua team led by BJP activist Tapan Halder of the Bongaon Uttar Assembly constituency, met Chowdhury on August 26 and he reached out to Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, who accompanied Rahul in the march at the time.
Chowdhury contacted K.C. Venugopal and sent a WhatsApp message to Rahul expressing the team’s eagerness to meet him.
Chowdhury then sent the Matua group to Bihar along with state unit leader Jaiswal.
A Congress insider said: “Rahul Gandhi spoke with the team members for about 20 minutes. Their main concern was the SIR. He patiently listened to their problems and assured them of a fresh hearing in the near future, the date and venue of which will be communicated through Chowdhury.”
Although Matua BJP activist Tapan Halder and his associates lack much clout, the incident embarrassed the BJP leadership. BJP’s Bangaon organisational district president Bikas Ghosh said: “Tapan has been showcaused. He does not hold any portfolio and has little significance, but we cannot remain indifferent to such indiscipline.”
Insiders connected to a faction of the All India Matua Mahasangha in Thakurnagar claimed the group was misled by Tapan, who told them they were going to a Matua fair
in Bihar.
A picture shared by Jaiswal, however, indicated otherwise. It shows the Matua delegation outside Howrah station holding a banner featuring Rahul’s picture and the caption: “SIR unsafe, Congress Safe”.
Some in Trinamool interpreted the event as the fallout of a rift within the Matua Thakurbari. “If there is distrust for both BJP and Trinamool, the Congress will come to mind,” said a Trinamool leader.
“Matua patriarch Pramatha Ranjan Thakur was a Congress leader and a minister in the Bidhan Chandra Roy cabinet. He played an instrumental role in bringing the Matua community from what is now Bangladesh,” he added.