In the wake of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s outreach in Krishnanagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a rally in Ranaghat on December 20, focusing on the Matua community— Hindu refugees from Bangladesh who form a significant electoral bloc in Bengal.
The Bharatiya Janata Party held a preparatory meeting on Friday at a private lodge in Taherpur, Nadia, to finalise arrangements for the rally. The meeting was attended by state BJP leader Sunil Bansal, Amitabh Chakraborty, Ranaghat MP Jagannath Sarkar, and all BJP MLAs from the Nadia South organisational district.
This will be Modi’s fourth visit to West Bengal this year. Between May and August, the Prime Minister addressed rallies in Alipurduar, Durgapur, and Dum Dum. For months, speculation had circulated that he would return to Krishnanagar or Ranaghat in December; the party has now confirmed Ranaghat as the venue.
According to state BJP sources, the timing of this rally carries added political weight. During Modi’s earlier meetings, the state had not yet entered the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) phase of the voter list.
In the backdrop of the tussle between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) the BJP over claims of irregularities and political motives behind the SIR, the Prime Minister’s upcoming address is expected to be significant.
The BJP performed impressively in Matua-dominated regions in both the 2021 Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. However, amid the ongoing SIR exercise, sections of the Matua community have expressed discontent over citizenship-related issues, alleging that the SIR process is “anti-Matua.”
Political analysts believe that any shift in Matua support could seriously disrupt the BJP’s prospects in Bengal, considering the community’s electoral influence.
Mamata, while speaking in Krishnanagar on Thursday, sought to reassure residents saying, “There will be no NRC in Bengal, no detention camps. I have not come to seek votes. Stay calm, I will not let anyone being driven out. I will protect everyone with dignity.” Her remarks were widely interpreted as a direct message to the Matua community.
Adding to the political symbolism, the Gosa Parishad of the All India Matua Mahasangh, led by Trinamool MP Mamatabala Thakur, is organising a mass Harinam Sankirtan at the Brigade Parade in Kolkata— drawing parallels to the Gita recitation at the same venue, which the Chief Minister had criticised as a BJP event.
With both the BJP and TMC intensifying efforts to consolidate Matua support ahead of the upcoming elections, all eyes are now on the Prime Minister’s December 20 rally in Ranaghat. The community, along with political observers across Bengal, is watching closely to see what message Modi will deliver.
Also read: Mamata slams EC, BJP over SIR form lapse
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