By Atri Mitra / Indian Express
A Union Ministry of Home Affairs notification directing the district collectors of Mehsana and Anand in Gujarat to issue citizenship certificates to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan under the Citizenship Act of 1955 has created ripples at the other end of the country, with the Matua community in West Bengal expressing its displeasure with the BJP for failing to keep its promise of granting them citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
As the MHA notification was widely reported earlier this month, BJP MLA Mukutmani Adhikari, one of the leaders of the Matua community, expressed hope, saying, “For many years, we have been fighting for this act. Ultimately, the Matua community in West Bengal who reside in almost 18 districts of this state is extremely hopeful that it will get permanent citizenship.”
Adhikari, who is the MLA from the Matua-dominated Ranaghat Dakshin constituency, said he was confident that the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre would keep its promise. “Matuas want citizenship to be given under CAA 2019, which has religious persecution as a clause. The CAA 2019, once implemented, will give Matua community its due recognition,” he added.
But not every leader of the community is as hopeful as Adhikari. A senior leader All India Matua Mahasangha leader Asim Sarkar said the community members would not keep their faith in the BJP as they did during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections if CAA was not implemented before 2024. “We think the BJP leadership will keep its poll promise of 2019. But if it is not implemented before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Matuas will stop trusting the BJP,” said Sarkar, also a BJP MLA from Haringhata in Nadia district. “What was the need to pass a new law in 2019 if you are granting citizenship under the 1955 Act? I think there should be a clarification.”
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