Kolkata: A leading association of the Matua community in West Bengal, led by Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member, has written a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking ‘censuring’ of the party’s MP Mahua Moitra, over her recent adverse comments about the community.
Moitra is Trinamool’s Lok Sabha member from Krishnanagar constituency in Nadia district.
In the letter to the Chief Minister, All India Matua Mahasangh, led by Mamata Bala Thakur, also raised the demand that Moitra should publicly apologise for her comments, which had hurt the sentiments of the people from the Matua community.
However, Mamata Bala Thakur, who herself hails from the community, had not directly written the letter to the Chief Minister. Instead, the letter was written by the Mahasangh General Secretary, Sukesh Chowdhury.
Earlier this week, the Mahasangh had issued a statement condemning Moitra for her anti-Matua comments and also demanded a public apology from her in the matter.
“We had earlier sent a message to Moitra through the media, asking her to withdraw her comments and apologise unconditionally. But she has refused to do so as yet. That is why we have written a letter to the Chief Minister on behalf of the All India Matua Mahasangh. We have faith in the Chief Minister that she will definitely intervene in the matter and censure Mahua for hurting the religious sentiments of the Matuas,” Sukesh Chowdhury said.
At a recent public meeting at Krishnanagar, Moitra commented on the leanings of the Matua Community voters towards the BJP.
“What kind of approach is this when one is with Trinamool Congress around the year, and then behaves like a traditional Hindu before the elections? When you need work, development schemes, or roads, you think of Mamata Banerjee. You come to collect allowance under different state development schemes, wearing wooden bracelets. Then what happens to you? I know that the video of my speech will go viral. I really do not care,” the Trinamool Congress MP was heard saying at the public meeting at Krishnanagar.
Matuas, a Backward Class Hindu community, came to West Bengal as refugees from neighbouring Bangladesh and settled in pockets of Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts. The community has been a dedicated vote bank for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Even in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, when Trinamool Congress had landslide victories in most of the constituencies in West Bengal, BJP candidates won from both Bangaon constituency in North 24 Parganas district and Ranaghat constituency in Nadia district, both being Matua-dominated constituencies.
(IANS)
