Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP of desecrating the holy place of the Matuas by harassing women devotees hours before his visit to Thakurbari in West Bengal’s North 24-Parganas on Sunday.
He accused Bongaon BJP MP and Union Minister Santanu Thakur of appeasing his party bosses in Delhi forgetting the work done by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee for the welfare of the Matuas.
The senior Trinamool leader, who offered prayers to Matua sect founder Harichand Thakur at a nearby shrine since the main temple at Thakurbari was locked, said he could have forced his entry with his supporters but wanted to avoid any clash.
“The Harichand Thakur temple has been desecrated by Santanu Thakur and his cronies. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawans assaulted women devotees who had come to visit the shrine while throwing out the common people out of the compound,” he said.
Banerjee said he did not come to Thakurbari for politics. “My political campaign was in Habra, around 20 km away from Thakurnagar. Today will be remembered as a black day in the history of Bongaon,” he said.
The Trinamool general secretary appealed to the people to “throw away BJP MP Thakur and his minions" out of Bongaon Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general elections.
Asserting he would visit the place every three months, Banerjee said, “Contrary to allegations by the BJP MP about disparaging comments made by TMC supremo against Harichand Thakur earlier this year, she had regretted the faux pas (Mamata had allegedly mispronounced the names of two Matua spiritual leaders, Harichanda Thakur and Guruchand Thakur, during a function in February). She has high regard for the sect and has been instrumental in the area’s development.”
Reacting to Banerjee’s charges, Thakur told reporters, “Abhishek Banerjee had brought in goons to foment trouble but he was thwarted by members of the Matua community. He has actually made the soil of Thakurnagar impure by his visit and we will purify it after he leaves.”
He said Banerjee’s doom “starts from today as the TMC general secretary was not allowed to use the Matua community for political gains.”
Refuting Banerjee’s claims that Mamata had done a lot for the community, the BJP MP said, “She has not done any favours.”
“Let the elections come. People in Bongaon will show the TMC and its leaders like Abhishek their true place. Their arrogance will get a befitting reply,” he said.
Thakur wondered “Why hundreds of police personnel had to be requisitioned for the visit of an ordinary MP who is neither a state nor a central minister.”
Banerjee is on the last leg of his two-month long mass outreach programme across West Bengal and is currently traversing through North 24-Parganas.
He was accompanied by TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh, ministers Jyotipriyo Mallick, Bratya Basu and Sujit Bose among others.
Members of the Matua community, who make up a large chunk of the West Bengal's Scheduled Caste population, had been migrating to the state from erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) since the 1950s primarily due to religious persecution.
There are about 30 lakh Matuas in West Bengal and the community electorally influences at least five Lok Sabha seats and nearly 50 assembly seats in Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas districts.
Banerjee's visit to Thakurnagar has triggered a political slugfest with the BJP accusing the TMC of attacking members of Matua community.
Leader of the Opposition and senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari tweeted, "TMC goons have attacked the Holy Shree Dham temple of the Matua community in front of police. I request the Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri @Amit Shah Ji and @HMOIndia to kindly intervene urgently and provide protection to the members and office-bearers of the Matua organisation."
Countering Adhikari, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh tweeted, "LoP@SuvenduWB's attempt to shift blame to the Trinamool Congress is OUTRAGEOUS!"
"The CISF entered the temple premises with their shoes on, assaulted women, snatched their jewelleries and used unparliamentary language, showing a complete lack of respect for religious sentiments and basic decency... By defending his MP, Mr. Adhikari has revealed that the Matuas are no more than a pawn in BJP's political gambit!," Ghosh tweeted.