Political narratives comparing SIR to NRC stirring panic among Matua community in West Bengal

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) While addressing a rally organised by West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress against the rollout of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ list, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee associated the process with that of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

In her speech, it was principally this allegation, that SIR would disenfranchise specifically two crore voters of the state and that many would be put in detention camps, which raised several eyebrows of surprise.

The reference was made keeping in mind a large chunk of voters of the Matua community who are wary of SIR plucking them out of a safe abode where they took refuge after fleeing religious persecution in East Pakistan, which continued even in Bangladesh.

The Matuas are Namashudras, who constitute over 17 per cent of the Scheduled Castes (SC) in West Bengal. Though many among its estimated population of three crore have been granted citizenship – with its representative being a Union Minister of State, a state minister, and a Rajya Sabha member – most are still awaiting the status in the absence of proper documentation.

Their fears were compounded with the move to implement NRC in neighbouring Assam, with reports of several Hindus ending up in detention camps, awaiting deportation, in the absence of incomplete papers.

Successive political narratives around such instruments – alternately framed as remedial, security measures, or tools of exclusion – have propelled fears arising out of uncertainty, especially among Matuas.

In West Bengal, the community wields influence in several seats in districts like North 24-Parganas, and adjacent Nadia.

In at least 17 constituencies, the Matuas make up around 45 per cent of the electorate. Ten of these seats are in North 24-Parganas while the remaining seven are in Nadia, which are part of the Bongaon and Ranaghat Lok Sabha constituencies.

The Matuas have historically been supporters of the party ruling Trinamool in West Bengal, but since the aggressive pitch from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and following the death of its matriarch, a part of the community has shifted allegiance, hoping that the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would benefit them.

After making impressive inroads in the 2019 Assembly election in the Matua-dominated constituencies, the reignition of the NRC controversy led the BJP to witness an erosion in votes in the Lok Sabha seats comprising Matua-influenced Assembly segments.

Now, political narratives tying SIR to NRC have led to reports describing “suspicion; panic; anger” on-ground as SIR would require many to furnish proof or risk dropping names not on the 2002 list.

Most Matuas have Aadhaar and voter ID cards but they fear those would be “meaningless” during the SIR exercise. To allay their fears, Minister of State in the Union Cabinet and a member of the community, Shantanu Thakur, has pledged to help any Matua lacking valid documents to get citizenship status through CAA.

There lies a double-edged sword. While absence of suitable documentation may render them sans voting rights during SIR, applying for CAA will mean being identified as immigrants and losing not only adult suffrage but several facilities that they can access through Aadhaar, ration card, etc.

Meanwhile, Shantanu’s aunt, Mamata Thakur – a Rajya Sabha MP representing the Trinamool – has launched a stir against SIR, with her followers beginning an indefinite fast on Wednesday.

Just a day earlier, a third pole emerged in the community with Shantanu’s brother and BJP MLA from Gaighata, Subrata Thakur, launching a third Matua frontal organisation. His move is reportedly an attempt at stepping out of his brother’s shadow.

Even as West Bengal is scheduled for elections in the first half of 2026, it seems SIR will remain the topmost poll agenda, at least till the final revised list is made public – as it happened in Bihar. Till then, the echo chambers will continue to haunt the Matuas – among whom there still are lakhs of undocumented people.

--IANS

jb/rad