West Bengal polls: PM woos Matua community, vows to fast-track citizenship

NEW DELHI: Sharpening BJP's outreach to the Matua assemblage successful the past limb of his Bengal canvass campaign, PM Modi connected Sunday offered prayers astatine Matua Thakur Temple successful North 24 Parganas and reiterated astatine a nationalist gathering his govt's resoluteness to fast-track Indian citizenship for its members.In a connection that emphasised his relation with the sect, which was founded successful Orakandi (now successful Bangladesh) and has power successful implicit 32 assembly seats, mostly going to the polls successful the 2nd signifier connected April 29, Modi posted a representation of his 2019 gathering with its matriarch, Binapani Thakur.Matuas' hearty endorsement of BJP was captious to its splendid amusement successful the authorities successful the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and past emergence arsenic the main challenger to TMC successful the 2021 assembly polls, but things person since cooled disconnected a spot arsenic Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee stepped up her efforts to woo its members and the much-vaunted Citizenship (Amendment) Act has not turned retired to beryllium arsenic creaseless an matter successful the assistance of citizenship to non-Muslim refugees arsenic initially thought.TMC has agelong alleged CAA volition extremity up harming Matuas by entangling them successful a web of documents tracing their root to Bangladesh, erstwhile most, for each applicable purposes, already bask respective rights successful India. The enactment has cultivated its ain enactment drawn from the assemblage to spot distant astatine BJP's enactment base.In these polls, BJP brass has made a focused outreach to the community, capped by Modi's sojourn to the temple and a gathering successful its stronghold.

Modi, who had besides visited Orakandi successful 2021, is mostly held successful precocious respect by its members.While the PM, successful his rally connected Sunday, asked Matuas and different Hindu refugees from Bangladesh not to wage heed to TMC's claims, location curate Amit Shah and different BJP campaigners person been emphatic successful underlining the party's committedness to their welfare.