The Trinamool Congress today came out guns blazing against the Centre’s notifying the Citizenship Amendment Act rules (CAA). West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee warned that her party would hit the streets if there is any discrimination in them. She called the move a “political show-off just before the Lok Sabha polls”.
However, at Thakurnagar in North 24-Parganas, the Matuas, a backward sect of the Hindus who migrated from erstwhile East Pakistan, celebrated the event by distributing sweets, and dancing to the beat of drums and cymbals.
The State BJP celebrated the Centre’s move and in a press conference by Shantanu Thakur, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said: “This was a promise that our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our Home Minister Amit Shah ji had made to the people of India. Today, that promise has been fulfilled.”
Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP’s Leader of the Opposition, said that keeping in mind the likely opposition to the CAA by the “anti-national Trinamool Congress”, the rules had been framed in such a way that nobody can prevent the implementation. “This is due to the resolute leadership of our beloved PM Modi ji and Amit Shah ji. They have kept their word that they had given to the people,” he said.
On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee slammed the Centre’s move at a press conference at Nabanna and said: “Such instigation is unwanted before the polls. We will not tolerate this and protest against this,”.
“I am telling you that if something divisive is announced, we will protest that. Why is this being announced just before the elections? Why just before Ramzan starts? All people should keep their fast and Hindus should celebrate their festivals like Holi.”
“This is the BJP’s handiwork. As elections near, they start spreading information through news channels and then bring it to the people. This law was passed in 2020. After multiple extensions in four years, its implementation two to three days before the election announcement shows that it is being done for political reasons,” she said.
Banerjee further said: “If there is any discrimination, we don’t accept it. Be it religion, caste or language. They won’t be able to give citizenship to anyone in two days. This is just a lollipop and show-off. If they call them citizens only after the CAA, were they not citizens before? Why were Aadhaar cards of Matuas being cancelled before? This means they are doing something new to replace old laws.
“The PM was elected on the basis of the votes of these people. How can they not be citizens? If they cancel the citizenship of anyone through the CAA and the NRC, we will not be quiet. We will show strong protest. We will not accept the NRC at any cost. We will not allow the use of the CAA to put people in detention camps,” she added.
“We are waiting to see how the rules are framed. We have not received the notification. We do not know what the rules say. After seeing all the rules and reading the entire report, I will speak about them in detail tomorrow,” the Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, in Thakurnagar near Kolkata, the Matua community, originally from East Pakistan, celebrated the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019. Matuas danced to the beat of drums and cymbals at the headquarters of the sect in Thakurnagar, North 24 Parganas. They called it their “second Independence Day”. They fed each other sweets.
Matuas are a backward sect of Hindus who migrated to India during the Partition and after the creation of Bangladesh. The community, with an estimated population of three million in the State, can tilt the scales in favour of a political party in more than 30 Assembly seats in Nadia, and North and South 24 Parganas districts bordering Bangladesh.
Members of the Matua community celebrated the occasion by beating drums and exchanging pleasantries and expressed their gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and local MP and Union minister Santanu Thakur for the Act’s implementation.