The Mamata Banerjee government has formed a group of ministers (GoM) to look into the problems of refugees and ensure their development.

Sources in Trinamul said the move was significant ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and the BJP’s efforts to pitch the Citizenship Bill as a plank.

Sources said the GoM, led by Partha Chatterjee, would prioritise giving freehold land rights to residents of refugee colonies on state plots. “This is especially true in view of the Matuas, who are being wooed by the BJP,” said a Trinamul leader. The Matuas had crossed over after Partition.