The Trinamool Congress on Saturday said the Matuas felt betrayed because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence in his virtual speech on the community’s growing concerns following the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.

The party accused the Centre of failing to safeguard the interests of a community, which plays a decisive role in 40 to 50 Assembly constituencies.

In an attempt to corner the BJP, which largely depended on Matuas’ support in recent elections, Trinamool raised questions over Modi’s failure to address the community’s apprehension of the loss of voting rights.

“Matuas are living in deep uncertainty after the SIR process, as nearly 95 per cent of the community members do not possess the 11 documents prescribed by the Election Commission to prove Indian citizenship,” said Trinamool MP Mamata Bala Thakur, herself a member of the Matua community. “They had hoped the Prime Minister would reassure them during his visit, but his silence has only aggravated their fears.”

Thakur was addressing a press conference convened by Trinamool in Calcutta following Modi’s visit to the state.

“The Matuas migrated from Bangladesh, and it remains unclear how many have actually received citizenship documents under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA),” Thakur said. “The BJP had claimed that the SIR would identify infiltrators, but the draft roll shows that the Matuas are among the
worst affected.”

She said the community was feeling betrayed. “After taking our votes until 2024, they are now indirectly branding us as infiltrators. This is why protests have erupted in several areas. The entire community is facing a crisis because of the BJP’s policies. This is nothing but an attempt to snatch away our voting rights,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

The sharp attack from Trinamool appeared to have an immediate political impact.

Later in the evening, the Prime Minister addressed the issue in a post on his official
X handle.

“I assure every Matua and Namasudra family that we will always serve them. They are not here at the mercy of TMC. They have the right to live in India with dignity thanks to the CAA, which our Government bought. We will do even more for the Matua and Namasudra communities once a BJP Government takes oath in West Bengal,” Modi wrote.

Trinamool also criticised Modi for appealing for public support to form a BJP government in Bengal and for what they described as an attempt to play the “Bengali card”.

“He cannot pronounce Bengali properly. Yet, he wants to rule Bengal,” said state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.

“The Prime Minister claims Bengal is suffering, which is true, because his government has deprived the state of funds. On one hand, the Centre blocks money, and on the other, he talks of development. People will not accept such a double standard,” said Bhattacharya, who also heads Trinamool’s women’s wing.

State education minister Bratya Basu, also present at the press conference, accused the BJP of divisive politics.

“So far, the BJP has divided people only along religious lines. Now, it is trying to divide even Hindus and alienate the Matua community,” he said.