Heartland of Matua: PM to Foray Dec 20
Mr Modi is likely to address a rally in Nadia’s Taherpur area on December 20, just days after the draft voter list is scheduled to be published on December 16.
New Delhi:With West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee stepping up her agitation against the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to make a high-stakes political foray into the Matua heartland. Mr Modi is likely to address a rally in Nadia’s Taherpur area on December 20, just days after the draft voter list is scheduled to be published on December 16.
Mr Modi's visit underscores the intensifying tug of war between the BJP and the Trinamul Congress to secure the support of the influential Matua community, which plays a decisive role in at least five Lok Sabha constituencies in North 24-Parganas. At the core of this political churn lies apprehension within the community over the possibility of exclusion from voter lists during the SIR exercise.
Sensing unease among the Matuas, Ms Banerjee has already taken to the streets, holding anti-SIR rallies across Matua-dominated constituencies and accusing the Centre of attempting to disenfranchise marginalised voters. The BJP, however, is preparing a direct counter-offensive.
Sources said the Prime Minister’s Nadia visit is aimed at reassuring Matuas and neutralising what the party describes as the TMC’s “fear-mongering” campaign over the revision process.
Incidentally, the draft voter list in West Bengal is expected to be published on December 16. Four days later, the Prime Minister is likely to address the particular rally in Nadia. Mr Modi had also recently met the party's 12 Lok Sabha MPs from the state. The Bengal MPs reportedly raised their concerns about the SIR of electoral rolls and its adverse impact on the Matua voters. The Matuas have been loyal BJP voters since the CAA-NRC issue came up in the state.
Besides wooing the Matuas, the BJP will also be playing the religion card. On Thursday posters appeared in and around Kolkata's Salt Lake area announcing an Ayodhya-like temple in the city. The temple complex is expected to house a school, hospital, old-age home and other welfare facilities. The posters appeared days after suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone of a Babri Masjid-styled mosque in Rejinagar, Murshidabad.
A senior state BJP leader, Sanjay Poyra, spearheading the idea of building the temple in Kolkata, told the media, "Ram's kingdom must have Ram temple. We have identified the land but will not disclose the location now." He claimed that many people in West Bengal have agreed to donate "money, land and construction material.