Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will speed up the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in West Bengal to grant citizenship to refugee communities if it comes to power in the state.
Addressing rallies in Purba Bardhaman, Murshidabad and Dakshin Dinajpur districts, Modi reiterated the BJP’s push to pass the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state and targeted the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government over women’s safety, corruption and alleged infiltration.
“I have come to give assurance to the Matua community, Namashudra community and all refugee families… You are under the protection of the Indian Constitution. Modi has brought in the CAA so that all refugees can get the guarantee of the Constitution. Once the BJP forms the government, the work on granting citizenship to refugee families under the CAA will be expedited,” he said in Katwa, Purba Bardhaman.
The CAA, passed in December 2019, proposes to fast-track the granting of Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
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The Matua community is a semi-religious sect comprising largely Dalit people who moved to India from former East Pakistan around the time of Partition and for approximately two decades thereafter. Its members are included in the Scheduled Caste (SC) category and influence election results in around 74 of the 294 Bengal Assembly seats, according to the polls conducted by the TMC and BJP. Namasudra is an important Hindu Dalit community and has one of the largest SC communities in West Bengal. The Matuas are part of the larger Namasudra community.
Modi says national security is the BJP’s top priority
During the tense election campaign across the state on Saturday, Modi said national security would remain the BJP’s top priority and reiterated the party’s commitment to implementing UCC in West Bengal to end what he called the policy of appeasement. “For us, the security of the nation is most important. BJP will implement UCC in West Bengal to stop appeasement politics,” he said.
He added: “The intruders will be expelled. I will tell every infiltrator to pack their bags. It is time to leave.” In its manifesto on Friday, the BJP promised to implement UCC in the state if it wins the upcoming elections.
Reacting to the BJP’s attacks, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee accused the Center of targeting the state and misleading voters. Speaking at a rally in Jhargram, she alleged that BJP leaders visited the state only during elections. “Trust Cobra, but never trust the BJP,” she said, warning that UCC’s campaign threatened religious and cultural diversity.
During his rallies, Modi also accused the TMC government of failing to ensure the safety of women in the state, leading to the discrepancy between the BJP-ruled states and West Bengal. “During the BJP regime, women and girls will be able to roam freely anywhere, anytime. The BJP government means ensuring women’s safety,” he said, alleging a breakdown of law and order under the current regime.
The Prime Minister said the TMC was spreading fear and misinformation because it felt electoral defeat. “The TMC has entered into a state of panic, which is why the party has been spreading lies that the BJP will stop every scheme if it comes to power. The truth is that the BJP will not stop anything except the TMC’s corruption and plunder,” he said.
He also accused the TMC of betraying the mandate it received after the defeat of the Left Front. “The people of Bengal have toppled the Left. They gave a chance to the TMC with a lot of hope after listening to the slogan ‘Maa, Mati, Manush’. But after coming to power, the TMC became a carbon copy of the Left. All the Left-backed goons sided with the TMC. The TMC took over the unions of the Left regime,” Modi said.
In Dakshin Dinajpur, the Prime Minister also accused the TMC of disrespecting the tribal community, citing alleged violation of protocol during the recent visit of President Draupadi Murmu.
He said: “The Transitional Military Council does not leave any opportunity to insult the tribal community… The Transitional Military Council, which insults mothers and sisters, insults the tribal community, and insults the constitution, needs to be taught a lesson.”
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a speech at a separate rally at Onda in Bankura district, echoed Modi’s attacks, accusing the TMC of running a “syndicate raj” and protecting political violence.
“More than 300 BJP workers were killed in election-related violence… Those who harassed BJP workers, their accounts will be equalized after the BJP comes to power. On the polling day, TMC members should stay home,” the minister said.
At a second rally in Bankura, he said: “Mamata Banerjee plays the victim. Sometimes, she wears a bandage on her leg or head (to gain sympathy). Mamata Didi, in this election, you may wear a bandage on your leg, head or hand, but the people of Bengal will not vote for you.”
