Abhishek Banerjee (File photo)
Kolkata: Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee wound up his Bengal poll campaign at Nadia’s Haringhata on Saturday with a sharp attack on BJP, saying the saffron party had “humiliated and deprived” Matuas by promising them citizenship and jobs.Accusing BJP of shedding “crocodile tears” for the community in North 24 Parganas and Nadia, both Matua strongholds, Banerjee said: “BJP MLA Asim Sarkar said if names of Matuas are deleted, that won’t be his headache. MLA and Union minister Shantanu Thakur said it will not matter if one to five lakh Matua names are deleted. Now, compare how TMC has stood by you… from SIR form fill-up kiosks to the Supreme Court, we have been with you.”Despite having all valid documents, Matua names were forcibly removed from the list, he said. “It was said those (Hindus) who came to India by Dec 31, 2024, would be granted citizenship. However, even those who have been here for 100 years had their names removed by the govt of Asim Sarkar and Shantanu Thakur. The names cleared after ‘logical discrepancy’ wouldn’t have been possible if CM Mamata Banerjee hadn’t moved SC,” he said. Banerjee, however, said “no relationship is one-sided”. “In Harighanta-Kalyani or Bongaon, whether in 2019, 2021, or 2024, you have repeatedly given opportunities to BJP. This is the double engine you were promised. Have you gained anything? It is time to respond to those who betrayed you,” he said.
