Bengal: Mamata eyes Matua votes as BJP relaunches CAA narrative

Speaking at a public meeting in Nadia's Krishnanagar, Mamata appealed to the Rajbongshi and Matua communities "to not listen to the lies perpetuated by the BJP".

"I request the people of Ranaghat to not listen to the lies perpetuated by the BJP. Before every election, these BJP leaders begin lying only to secure your vote and then vanish for the rest of their tenure," Mamata, who heads the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), said.

"As soon as elections come, BJP leaders begin talking about CAA and NRC to distract you. They play with the feelings of Rajbongshi, Matuas and the people from the Hills. We do not want such politicians," she added.

The fresh controversy over the Act began after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) decided to grant citizenship under Section 16 of the CAA 1955 to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi communities from the neighbouring countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan living in two districts of poll-bound Gujarat.

Though the MHA notification stated citizenship to be granted to the communities under CAA, 1955, the West Bengal BJP spearheaded by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, has claimed the central government has started initiating the CAA 2019.

The CAA 2019 aims to grant citizenship to the members of the six communities who came to India from the three neighbouring countries before 2015.

Though the TMC has its MP and a number of MLAs in the Nadia district, the ruling party of West Bengal was left stranded with empty hands in Ranaghat which turned saffron since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In a strong message to her party workers, Mamata, whose chips were down recently after the arrests of her colleagues in disparate scams, said, "I won't tolerate any infighting. No one is bigger than the party. I will throw anyone accused of infighting out of the party."

The state politics has heated up over the last several months after top erstwhile minister Partha Chatterjee and Birbhum TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal were arrested in teacher recruitment and coal scams respectively.

A large part of the vast state of more than 10 crore residents will plunge into the high-octane panchayat elections, which was marred with widespread violence in 2018, early next year.

The panchayat polls will be an acid test for the TMC in the backdrop of corruption allegations ahead of the 2024 national elections.