PM’s Bangladesh Visit Can Have A Great Impact On Bengal Elections!

NATION

By Odishatv Bureau On Mar 26, 2021 - 8:00 PM

By Sarada Lahangir

PM Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh beginning today. This is PM’s first foreign trip following the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic last year. In March last year, Modi’s visit to Bangladesh had been canceled due to Covid. This visit is historic as it celebrates Mujib Borsho – the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 50 years of diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh and 50 years of Bangladesh’s war of liberation.

India and Bangladesh are enjoying increasingly close relations ever since the formation of then East Pakistan to People’s Republic of Bangladesh. But the onset of this relationship cemented at the battleground of 1971 war. In 1971, India won the war against Pakistan that resulted in the birth of the state of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh from the earlier East Pakistan. The relationship between India and Bangladesh is anchored in history, culture, language and shared values of secularism, democracy, and multitude of other commonalities between the two countries. Also, immediately after the 1971 war, New Delhi entrenched diplomatic connections with Dhaka, and was the first country to recognise Bangladesh as a democratic state. Today the Prime Minister visited the National Martyrs’ Memorial at Savar and paid tributes to the 1971 Liberation War martyrs. Later during the day, Modi met ‘Muktijodhas’, the liberation war fighters of Bangladesh in the city.

Modi’s two days visit is marked by a series of engagements. Though this visit looks purely to strengthen the diplomatic relationships but the strings of PM’s visit to Bangladesh are somewhere definitely linked to the West Bengal assembly elections. Because on 27th, Modi will visit places associated with the Matua community which plays an important role in more than 70 assembly seats in Bengal.

On March 27, Modi will visit the birthplace of the religious leader of Matua community Harichandra Thakur and the pilgrimage site of this community in Gopalganj, Bangladesh. Modi will be the first Prime Minister of India to do so. It is expected that Modi will be accompanied by Shantanu Thakur, a BJP MP from Bangaon and a representative of the Matua community. Shantanu is a descendant of Harichandra Thakur. After this, there is speculation that Modi may also make some announcements regarding the citizenship of the Matua community.

PM Modi went to Matua Math

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi started an election campaign in West Bengal, he first went to the 100-year-old monastery of the Matua sect to seek the blessings of the Boro Maa (elder mother). The BJP also nominated Shantanu Thakur, grandson of Boro Maa as its candidate and the BJP won for the first time in the Bangaon Lok Sabha constituency. Similarly, when Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited West Bengal in December, he dined in the house of a man from Matua community.

Important place in Bengal politics

Matua sect is very important in the politics of West Bengal and BJP wants to fulfill its mission-200 by focusing on tribal and scheduled caste-scheduled tribe population. According to the 2011 census, the Scheduled Caste population in West Bengal is around 18.8 million and 50% of it belongs to the Matua community.

CAA big issue for Matua sect

The Citizen Amendment Act is a major issue for the people of Matua sect settled in West Bengal, coming from East Pakistan. It is directly connected to them. When the law comes into force, people belonging to this sect will also get citizenship. There are a large number of people who are under the shadow of fear of NRC. The BJP brought the Citizens Amendment Act only to end the fear of NRC. BJP is also making it a big issue in elections. A few days ago, BJP’s West Bengal in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the Citizenship Amendment Act will be implemented from January-February; preparations are being made for it.

Started in undivided Bengal

The Matua sect recognizes Hinduism but without discrimination. Matua sect was started in 1860 by social reformer Harichandra Thakur in undivided Bengal. The people of the sect consider him an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and address him as Sri Sri Harichandra Thakur.

Harichandra Thakur’s family came to India

After the India-Pakistan partition, Harichandra Thakur’s family migrated to India and settled in West Bengal. Then Matua sect took charge of Harichandra Thakur’s great-grandson Pratham Ranjan Thakur and his wife Binapani Devi came to be called Matua Mata or Boro Maa. Boro Ma means elder mother. The Boro maa settled a colony called Thakurganj on the borders of Bangladesh for the convenience of Namasudra refugees from Pakistan.

Dalits are also associated with Matua sect

The people of Namasudra society also believe in the Matua sect. According to the 2011 census, the number of people from Namasudra society is 17 percent in the state. Apart from Namasudra, people of other Dalit societies are also associated with the Matua sect. In such a situation, the Matua community is important for the political parties to get a large vote of the Scheduled Castes.

3 crore is the population of the people of Matua sect

According to an estimate, the population of the Matua community is around 3 crore. The population of this community is about 65 percent in the Bangaon area of West Bengal. Apart from this, there are 10 such seats in which their population is about 38-40 percent. This means in these 10 Lok Sabha seats, people of this community play an important role in deciding victory and defeat of candidates. These 10 Lok Sabha seats include Krishnanagar, Siliguri, Ranaghat, Cooch Behar, Malda North, Raiganj, Malda Dakshin, Joynagar, Bardhaman East, and Bardhaman West.

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