Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that people of the Matua community have no reason to be afraid, claiming that even Mamata Banerjee cannot harm them.

However, he did not clarify whether thousands of voters from the community whose names are likely to be deleted from the final electoral roll would be able to vote in next year’s election.

“People of the Matua community have no reason to be afraid. This is the BJP’s promise. Those refugees who came to Bengal from Bangladesh are Indian citizens. No one can harm them. Even Mamata Banerjee cannot harm them,” Shah said at a news conference in Calcutta.

Shah’s comments came amid growing uncertainty among a large section of the Matua community over whether they would be able to cast their votes in next year’s Assembly elections.

Thousands of Matuas who failed to link their names, or those of their parents, with the 2002 electoral roll have been summoned for hearings.

Although the BJP launched a massive citizenship drive by setting up camps in various Matua-dominated areas, the outcome has been significantly poor.

A senior BJP leader said that so far, around 70,000 Matuas had applied for citizenship status, but fewer than 3,000 had received it. “Apart from these 70,000 voters, thousands more Matuas who did not apply for citizenship are facing the same crisis,” the leader said.

According to him, Union minister of state and BJP’s Bongaon MP Shantanu Thakur met Shah separately on Tuesday and flagged the issue.

“He has assured Thakur that the central government will certainly take steps for the Matuas, as they are BJP voters,” the leader said.

However, Shah did not clarify what steps the government would take to ensure that the names of Matuas likely to be deleted were retained in the final electoral rolls, which are scheduled to be published on February 14.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee have strongly taken up the issue.

Trinamool criticised Shah for giving what they termed a vague response, expressing support for the Matuas without addressing their concerns.

“Why is Amit Shah making such statements when his government has failed to help the Matuas despite repeated assurances? Leave aside citizenship—why should the voting rights of the Matuas be snatched?” asked Trinamool Rajya Sabha member and Matua Thakurbari clan member Mamatabala Thakur.

“The MP who later became a minister, Shantanu Thakur, was sitting beside Shah and had won with Matua votes. Why did he not say that Matuas should not be deprived of their voting rights? Do not forget that this MP recently said that one lakh Matuas should sacrifice their right to vote in next year’s election to remove Rohingyas from the list,” she added.

The Matua MP claimed that in at least 30 Assembly segments where the community constitutes a majority of voters, people may be deprived of their voting rights.

The Matua community, led by Mamatabala Thakur, will begin street protests at various locations from January 5 to ensure their voting rights.

Several BJP leaders privately admitted that the Matua issue had become a major challenge ahead of the critical elections.
“Do not forget, losing Matua votes means our defeat. That is why the issue must be addressed properly,” a BJP leader said.