A comment by junior Union minister Shantanu Thakur on Monday night that the names of nearly one lakh Matuas could be excluded from the electoral roll and that “sacrifice” was necessary to disenfranchise 50 lakh Muslims triggered fresh anxiety in the Matua community and a fierce political confrontation in Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections.

Addressing a BJP meeting at Hanshkhali-Garapota, Thakur appeared to ask members of the community to be prepared for what he described as a “sacrifice for a good cause”.

“Even if it is a problem, we should accept this,” he added.

Thakur acknowledged the likelihood of a large number of Matua voters being dropped from the electoral roll, and reiterated that applying for citizenship under the amended citizenship law was, in his view, the only solution to resolve what he called the identity crisis of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, including the Matuas.

The special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list indicated that at least 58 lakh names are likely to be dropped from the existing voters’ list in Bengal, and a large number of them are from Matua-dominated areas.

However, playing down the concerns over the revision exercise, Thakur claimed the SIR was not a problem at all, arguing that it would help the government identify the Rohingya, besides Muslims from Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“If today, the names of 50 lakh Rohingya Muslims, Bangladeshi Muslims, and Pakistani Muslims are dropped from the voters’ list, and if people of our society are required to stop for a while, and are compelled to refrain from voting, then which one is more beneficial? Will you be able to digest it if, after coming to this side (India), you find at the ration shop the same person who once looted you, assaulted you there (Bangladesh) and even threatened to kill you?” asked the Bongaon MP.

“Tai ei baad jawata shojhyo kortey hobey. Eta shamoyik. J amakey ek shomoy otyachar koreychhilo, aaj tar shatheyi jodi ekhaney ghor kortey hoy, tobey protishodh nebo kokhon (So such omission should be tolerated as temporary. If I am to live today with those who tortured me once, when will we exact revenge)?” he added.

Thakur is the chief of the BJP-leaning faction of All India Matua Mahasangha.

Thakur’s remarks, however, sent the BJP on the back foot, raising concerns within the party about a possible erosion of its Matua vote base. BJP leaders sought to portray the omission of voters’ names as temporary, claiming it would ultimately lead to a permanent resolution of the citizenship issue faced by the community.

The BJP’s Bongaon organisational district chief, Bikash Ghosh, expressed confidence that the Centre would find a way to ensure that Hindu migrants, such as the Matuas, remained as voters. “We have appealed to the Union home ministry for a solution. Please wait and watch. There will be no election without these voters,” claimed Ghosh.

Nonetheless, Thakur’s statement fuelled anger and anxiety among Matuas, with the Trinamool Congress accusing him and the BJP of betraying the community.

Trinamool alleged that the junior Union minister was toying with the faith of the community for political gains.

Terming the remarks an alarming acknowledgement of a looming threat to voting rights, Trinamool announced plans to mobilise Matua voters at Thakurnagar on Wednesday and gherao the MP’s residence. The party said it would seek clarity, particularly on Thakur’s claim about the number of Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar found in the roll.

Trinamool Rajya Sabha member and leader of a rival faction of the Mahasangha, Mamatabala Thakur (the junior Union minister’s paternal aunt), described the denial of voting rights to Matuas as a conspiracy.

“The conspiracy of Shantanu Thakur and the BJP to delete one lakh Matua voters’ names has come to light through his statement,” she said.

“Now we want to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and the Election Commission the names of how many Rohingya and Muslims from Bangladesh and Pakistan have been deleted from the electoral roll in Matua areas,” she added.

“Shantanu is actually conspiring to send the Matuas to detention camps. From tomorrow, Matuas will gather and seek clarifications from him.”

The Bongaon MP issued a clarification, reiterating that the amended citizenship law was the only remedy for refugees from Bangladesh.

Thakur said: “Those who have come from Bangladesh should apply for citizenship under the CAA. You may have managed to get voter cards or ration cards with the help of Trinamool or the Congress, but in the Union government records, you are a big zero. You have no record.”

“A person who migrated from Bangladesh cannot become a citizen only based on a ration card or a voter card. That is why the CAA will ensure citizenship,” he claimed.

Within the BJP, concerns over the potential fallout among Matua voters are also on the rise.

BJP MLA Subrata Thakur — brother of the junior Union minister — called for fast-track hearings of CAA applications to ensure citizenship and voter enrolment for eligible members of the community.

“The Centre must arrange a fast procedure to ensure that no Hindu voters’ names are dropped from the voters’ list,” he said.