Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday said the BJP’s promise to grant citizenship to Matuas after the completion of the Covid-19 vaccination drive was “fake” because it would take nine years to inoculate 130 crore people in the country.
Speaking at a rally in the Matua stronghold of Thakurnagar in North 24-Parganas, the Trinamul youth wing president questioned the rationale behind the assurance given by Union home minister Amit Shah.
“They are making fake promises once again ahead of the Assembly polls. They have promised to provide citizenship only after the Covid vaccination drive is completed. How many people live in India? Just do a reality check. How many years will it take to complete the vaccination? It will take at least nine years to cover the entire population,” said Diamond Harbour MP Banerjee.
While addressing a rally in Thakurnagar on February 11, Shah had reiterated the BJP’s commitment to the Citizenship Amendment Act, but said it would be implemented only after the Covid vaccination drive.
Citizenship is a major issue for Matuas who form a sizable section of voters in Nadia and North 24-Parganas districts. The community had voted for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, helping the party defeat Trinamul in Ranaghat and Bongaon Lok Sabha constituencies.
With the history of the 2019 defeat in mind, Abhishek urged Matuas owing allegiance to the Trinamul-backed Sarba Bharatiya Matua Mahasangha not to be misled by the BJP’s “fake promise”. He reiterated that government documents in their possession were enough to substantiate their citizenship.
“Before the Lok Sabha polls, they had promised you citizenship and you helped them win...You voted them to power using your voter’s card and you do not need to establish your citizenship? If you are unauthorised people by being Matuas, then people like Narendra Modi are also unauthorised,” said Banerjee.
“As long as Mamata Banerjee is alive, you need not worry about your citizenship.”
Responding to the claim, BJP MP Santanu Thakur told The Telegraph: “Abhishek and his aunt (Mamata) are misleading people. Amit Shah never meant that citizenship would become a reality only after the vaccination drive. He actually meant that once the process and preparedness of the Covid vaccination ended, the CAA would be implemented.”
Abhishek also used the rally to talk about the CBI’s questioning of his family members and accused the BJP of political vendetta. He, however, vowed not to surrender under pressure.
The CBI had questioned Abhishek’s wife Rujira on Wednesday in connection with a probe into the alleged pilferage of coal worth thousands of crores of rupees.
“Use CBI, ED or income tax to do whatever against me. Bring more such agencies to use against me. But you will get nothing. This will only make me double my strength. I will never surrender,” said chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew.
“You hack my throat but I will continue to roar ‘Joy Bangla’ and ‘Long live Mamata Banerjee’,” he added.
Echoing Mamata, the Trinamul MP said: “People will give a befitting reply to such harassment in the ensuing polls.”
He claimed Trinamul would win at least 250 seats, while urging party supporters to take the election as a challenge to ensure the defeat of the BJP’s “outsiders”.
