Matua Voting Rights Assured Under CAA: Amit Shah
- Matua voting rights protected for CAA applicants, says Amit Shah
- Matua voting rights issue amid West Bengal political dispute
Hyderabad: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured that Matua voting rights will remain protected for those who have applied for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act. He made the assurance while speaking to the media in Kolkata. Therefore, he sought to address concerns raised within the Matua community during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal.
Amit Shah said that members of the Matua community who have submitted citizenship applications would not lose their voting rights. He stated, “The people from the Matua community have nothing to worry about. Every refugee who has come to India will be treated as a citizen. This is the BJP’s promise. No one can harm them. Not even Mamata Banerjee.” He added that protection for refugees would continue along with action against infiltrators. Meanwhile, his remarks came amid political debate over voter eligibility.
The Union Home Minister explained that Matuas belong to a socially backward community. They came to West Bengal as refugees from neighbouring Bangladesh. Over time, they settled in several parts of the state. Their main concentration remains in Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts. However, since the Special Intensive Revision began, Trinamool Congress leaders and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have claimed that several Matua voters could lose voting rights. Therefore, Shah used the occasion to provide reassurance.
On Tuesday, Amit Shah again assured security and voting rights for the Matua community and other refugees who came to West Bengal due to religious oppression. Meanwhile, he launched a sharp attack on the Chief Minister. He criticised her decision to block central welfare schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and PM Kisan Yojanas. “Mamata Banerjee is scared to lose her voter bank. She is scared of the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That fear factor has prompted her to block the implementation of schemes like Ayushman Bharat in the state,” Shah said.
Later, he also targeted the Chief Minister over her announcement of temple projects funded by the state. “This is an attempt to apply ointment on the wounds of people surfacing because of her long practised appeasement politics. But it is too late.
This ointment application exercise will be fruitless,” he said. He further questioned why central infrastructure projects face hurdles only in West Bengal. “The Indian government is working on infrastructure development throughout the country. Infrastructure development is being done everywhere. Why are they being stopped only in West Bengal? Why are there no problems in states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana? Why were there no problems in Uttar Pradesh even when Akhilesh Yadav was the Chief Minister? Opposing any Central initiative has become a habit of the Trinamool Congress. No one takes their opposition seriously now,” the Union Home minister said.
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