On Tuesday, it was revealed that approximately 9 million voters have been removed from the electoral rolls in West Bengal as a result of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative. In response, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately targeting the Matua community and other minority groups, likening the deletions to the removal of \u201clice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conversely, the BJP asserted that the Election Commission’s actions have brought to light the presence of \u201cMuslim infiltrators\u201d in the state.<\/p>\n
During an election rally in Chakdaha, located in the Matua-heavy Nadia district, Banerjee claimed that the deletions were not random or administrative, but rather a systematic effort to exclude social groups that the BJP views as politically problematic. She questioned the fairness of the government\u2019s actions, pointing out that while citizenship is offered to newcomers, long-term residents are being disenfranchised. \u201cWhy is there such discrimination? Why are Matuas and other minorities being specifically targeted? Do you think the public is unaware of this?\u201d she asked, vowing to protect everyone from being expelled by the BJP.<\/p>\n
Banerjee emphasized her commitment to challenging the removal of legitimate voters’ names, stating, \u201cI have approached the Supreme Court to combat the unjust deletions. The recently published list shows that 3.2 million names remain; we will advocate for the others at the Appellate Tribunal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highlighting the impact on minority-populated areas such as Murshidabad, Malda, and South 24 Parganas, she noted significant losses among Matua voters in regions like Bagda, Haringhata, and Gaighata. Her claims were somewhat corroborated by the Election Commission\u2019s district-specific statistics, which indicated that Nadia, with its substantial Matua demographic, had the highest deletion rate, with nearly 78% of reviewed cases resulting in removal. In North 24 Parganas, another district with a strong Matua presence, over 55% faced deletions.<\/p>\n
In Bhabanipur, where Banerjee is running for election against her rival Suvendu Adhikari from the BJP, she pointed out that initially, 40,000 voters had been deleted, and the final count of retained voters is yet to be determined. She assured legal assistance to those appealing to the Tribunal.<\/p>\n
Expanding her concerns beyond traditional TMC supporters, Banerjee mentioned that around 300 members of the Missionaries of Charity, as well as monks from the Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha, had also vanished from the voter lists.<\/p>\n
Describing the upcoming election as a crucial fight for democracy, language, and cultural identity in West Bengal, she declared, \u201cWe must reduce the BJP to zero. This election is about safeguarding democracy and your identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
In contrast, the BJP dismissed Banerjee’s allegations, claiming she was attempting to protect illegal immigrants. Adhikari stated that the TMC is anxious because the SIR process has started to reveal what he termed their \u201cinfiltrator vote bank.\u201d He argued that legitimate voters can simply re-register by submitting Form 6, questioning why undocumented Bangladeshi Muslims should remain on the electoral rolls.<\/p>\n
Adhikari asserted, \u201cHindu refugees have no reason to be concerned. The SIR was intended to cleanse the electoral rolls. The TMC is alarmed because its vote bank is under scrutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP-led central government of undermining the \u201cpride and self-worth\u201d of the Rajbanshi community in northern Bengal by failing to honor critical electoral promises. Speaking in the Natabari constituency of Cooch Behar, he criticized the government for not addressing the state\u2019s demand to include the Rajbanshi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, which he deemed a disservice to the community.<\/p>\n
He further accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of making false promises regarding the formation of a \u201cNarayani Sena\u201d battalion from Rajbanshi members during the 2019, 2021, and 2024 elections, yet failing to deliver on these commitments.<\/p>\n
\u201cBJP leaders like Shah come to our area portraying Rajbanshis as friends, making numerous promises. But once the elections conclude and he returns to Delhi, he forgets about the community. This reflects the true nature of the deceptive BJP,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
The Rajbanshi people, descendants of the Koch dynasty, form the largest Scheduled Caste group in northern Bengal, primarily residing in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Darjeeling districts, and have historically encountered economic challenges due to their roles as sharecroppers in agriculture.<\/p>\n
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On Tuesday, it was revealed that approximately 9 million voters have been removed from the electoral rolls in West Bengal as a result of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative. In response, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately targeting the Matua community and other minority groups, likening the deletions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4801,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[78,40,148],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-cities","category-india","category-in-kolkata"],"yoast_head":"\n