The West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a direct, time-sensitive appeal to Hindu refugees from Bangladesh, particularly the influential Dalit Matua community, to immediately file applications for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The effort highlights the high-stakes political struggle over the law’s implementation in the state and occurs just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned rally in the border district of Nadia.
The PM’s visit is expected to be a crucial moment of reassurance because of this urgent mobilization, which comes after growing dissatisfaction among immigrant populations who claim they were left out of recent official enumeration efforts.
Why Is the BJP Making This Appeal Now?
At a press conference in Kolkata on Friday, BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya framed the appeal as a final step to realize a long-promised guarantee. “The CAA has fulfilled your long-standing demand for citizenship. I urge all eligible members of the Matua and Hindu refugee communities to fill out the CAA forms as soon as possible. Don’t be misled by misinformation,” Bhattacharya stated.
The directive is strategically timed before PM Modi’s address in Taherpur, Nadia—a region with a dense Matua population. Ranaghat Lok Sabha MP Jagannath Sarkar amplified the message, linking the community’s aspirations directly to the Prime Minister: “Modi hai toh mumkin hai. We are confident that all Matuas will get their citizenship rights soon.”
What Are the Concerns Driving the Refugee Community?
The BJP’s concerted outreach is also a response to mounting allegations from the ground. Leaders within the Matua community and other non-Dalit Hindu refugees have reported that many of their members were left out of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the National Register of Citizens (NRC)-like exercise in the state.
- The SIR was pitched by the BJP as a measure to identify illegal infiltrators.
- Refugee groups now claim the process has inadvertently omitted legitimate Hindu migrants who entered India fleeing persecution.
- This gap between the promise of the CAA and the practical hurdles of documentation has created a potent political vulnerability.
How Is the Ruling Trinamool Congress Responding?
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has seized on these implementation concerns, framing the PM’s visit as a “damage control” mission. TMC state vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar accused the BJP of failing its core voters.
“Millions of Matuas and other Hindu refugees hadn’t been enrolled during the SIR. The BJP made tall promises to these people and now PM Modi is coming to control the damage,” Majumdar stated. The TMC has consistently argued that the SIR, intended to target “illegal Muslim infiltrators,” has ended up victimizing the very Hindu refugees the CAA was designed to protect.
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Who Are the Matuas and Why Are They Pivotal?
The Matua community, a Scheduled Caste sect founded by Sri Harichand Thakur, forms a critical electoral bloc in West Bengal. Their migration history across the 1947 and 1971 partitions of Bangladesh makes them the primary beneficiaries of the CAA in the state.
- The community holds sway over an estimated 74 of Bengal’s 294 assembly seats.
- They are an important catchment area for both the BJP and TMC because of their erratic political allegiance.
- The CAA’s successful and perceived fair implementation is directly tied to their continued support.
What Is the Current Legal Framework for Applicants?
The procedural pathway for applicants was clarified by a recent central government order. According to the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, issued by the Union Home Ministry on September 1 this year:
- Eligible minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, Christians) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India before December 31, 2024.
- They are permitted to stay in India even without valid documents or passports if they fled religious persecution.
- This order provides the immediate legal protection for those now being urged to formally apply for citizenship under the CAA rules.
PM Modi’s Nadia rally has become a critical test of the BJP’s capacity to transform the CAA from a historic law into a fulfilled promise for its most anticipated recipients due to the combination of political messaging, community fear, and procedural rollout.
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