The BJP has devised a two-pronged strategy to address the concerns of Matuas over the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state.
While leaders of the state BJP are trying to impress on the Union government the need to simplify the process of documentation, the saffron camp has decided to start an aggressive campaign to counter the Trinamul argument that the CAA was a ploy by the central government to rob the community members of their citizenship rights.
“Mamata Banerjee is telling lies to the people. She is scaring them. She is doing politics. The CAA is not designed to revoke citizenship but it is instead an initiative aimed at granting citizenship,” state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said.
Majumdar’s reaction came following chief minister Mamata Banerjee's statement at a recent meeting, where she expressed concerns about the lack of clarity in the CAA. Banerjee urged the state's residents not to seek citizenship, cautioning that doing so might result in being labelled as "refugees and infiltrators" and could lead to being excluded from government schemes.
The state's BJP leadership is aware of the problems of documentation that have made Matuas apprehensive about applying for citizenship.
"The notification of CAA rules lists several documents that one needs to submit to get citizenship in this country. The list of documents includes testimonials that an applicant should submit to prove that he/ she is staying in this country for a specified period. The need to submit such documents has made the Matuas apprehensive about the consequences of the process," said a BJP leader belonging to the community.
Aware of the apprehension, senior BJP leaders like junior Union minister and Matua Mahasangha leader Shantanu Thakur are trying to convince the home ministry for an easier documentation process.
“The rules state an affidavit or an identity certificate issued by widely acclaimed social organisations like Ramakrishna Mission is enough. I will speak to the home ministry if required to ensure that happens. The people should not face any trouble," Thakur said.
Going a step forward, leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari claimed at a meeting in Ranaghat, which is known for the presence of a sizeable number of Matuas among the electorate, that no documents would be required to get citizenship.
“As a conscientious elected representative, and with the endorsement of Narendra Modi, J.P. Nadda, and Amit Shah, I can guarantee that no documentation will be necessary. Simply, submit an application declaring your arrival in India from any eligible country due to religious reasons, and that will suffice," Suvendu said.
Despite Suvendu's claim, a close look at the forms tell a different story. The form lists an applicant to furnish details of passport and visa, if available. Among other documents, applicants must also submit documents to prove that their parents'/ grandparents' identity were former residents of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Such documents are largely unavailable, as most of these affected families had left the nations overnight and reached here almost empty-handed.
Aware of the requirements, leaders of the BJP-affiliated faction of the All India Matua Mahasangha claim that submission of a new identity card to be issued by them to their community members would help facilitate the process of citizenship.
“We provide an identity card to all our organization's member devotees. However, for citizenship application purposes, we are developing a new identity card that incorporates all the necessary applicant data, enabling them to submit it along with their application through the designated portal,” Matua Mahasangha general secretary Mohitosh Baidya said.
However, Opposition parties expressed scepticism about the validity of identity cards issued by a religious organisation as official documents.
"How can an identity card issued by a religious organisation serve as proof of identity? They are trying to fool Matuas," said a Trinamul leader from Nadia.
When asked about it, a senior BJP leader said: “We are in touch with the home ministry and hope to find a solution soon.”
Apart from simplifying the documentation process, the BJP is aggressively campaigning against the misconceptions that the Trinamul Congress is spreading among the people.
“If you can bring to me one person who has lost his citizenship because of CAA, I shall step down as an MP. I assure you, no one will lose their citizenship. Mamata Banerjee is spreading lies,” Jagannath Sarkar, BJP MP from Ranaghat said.
The BJP is launching a massive outreach programme, particularly in Matua-dominated constituencies like Ranaghat, Krishnanagar, Bongaon, Barasat and Basirhat, to clear the doubt among people over CAA.
“People are confused and so the number of applications is also not very high. We will reach out to the people from this week only,” a senior BJP leader said.
Over the next week, the BJP will provide training to all the 42 district presidents so that they can reach out to the people and help them apply online. The BJP is also planning to distribute booklets and leaflets among the people to clear their doubts and confusion regarding CAA.
