Mamata outwits Modi in his own game

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week knelt at the feet of Binapani Devi, described as the Matua matriarch. Matuas are a scheduled caste sect settled in districts in West Bengal and Assam bordering Bangladesh. Most of them came over after independence, many after 1971. As many as 1.2 million of the four million people left out in Assam of the National Register of Citizens (NCR) are said to be Matuas.

The matriarch is now 100 years old and her centenary celebrations were kicked off in November last year by the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Last week it was the turn of PM Modi to seek her blessings. The lady, known as ‘Boro Maa’, is hard of hearing and far from being active but she commands the reverence of the community, which is being wooed by both BJP and AITC (All India Trinamool Congress).

A daughter-in-law of the matriarch is a Trinamool lawmaker but a son and a grandson are said to be close to the BJP, which has made inroads into the community, which can make a difference in seven to ten Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.

The ‘politics’played out when the Prime Minister called on the matriarch. The meeting may have lasted a few minutes and the matriarch may not have registered the significance of the visit, but the video of the PM kneeling at her feet, BJP insiders noted with satisfaction, would be enough to persuade Matuas to vote for them.

A last minute effort by local Trinamool supporters to place a photograph of Mamata Banerjee in the room just before the PM’s arrival may not have done much to repair the political damage.

In November Banerjee conferred on Binapani Devi Bengal’s highest civilian award, the Banga Vibhushan. She also brought up the BJP’s alleged politics over citizenship, an emotive issue for the Matuas, who crossed over to India as refugees after the Partition.

Political circles in West Bengal estimate that Matuas play a decisive role in 10 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal. “You are Indian citizens and that is your identity, which cannot be taken away from you. Those trying to snatch it are doing a great wrong,” the chief minister said, referring to a Matua delegation from Assam.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi however adopted a muted approach on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, mentioning it briefly towards the end of his speech as he addressed an event at Thakurnagar ( North 24 Parganas) of the Matua community, which enthusiastically supports the proposed legislation.

“Modi’s caginess on the bill, which seeks to facilitate citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, could be a result of the resistance it faces in the Northeast where the BJP is eyeing gains in the general election, BJP sources suggested,” reported The Telegraph.

In an effort to retrieve lost ground, Bengal chief minister announced last week giving freehold land rights to residents of 94 refugee colonies in the state irrespective of faith.

The Matua, a close-knit community that tends to vote as a block, had in 2009 switched loyalties from the Left to Trinamul, largely thanks to Mamata’s personal equations with the sect’s matriarch, Binapani Devi, fondly called “Boroma”.

Most Matuas, who now make up four per cent of Bengal’s population, came over from Bangladesh after Partition — and a sizeable chunk only after the cut-off date of March 25, 1971, which makes it tougher for them to secure citizenship.