Chowdhury meets PM Modi over 'attacks' on Bengali-speaking migrants, Matua concerns

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (December 30) and raised concerns over alleged "attacks" on Bengali-speaking people, particularly in BJP-ruled states, as well as the difficulties faced by the Matua community in West Bengal.

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The former West Bengal Congress president urged the prime minister to intervene to help stop such "attacks", warning that they could lead to communal tension and possibly violence in the state.

No political significance

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the five-time former MP said he had also highlighted issues related to migrant workers and the challenges faced by the Matua community.

Asked about the prime minister's response, Chowdhury said, "He assured he is watching the situation and this should not happen." To a query about the political significance of the meeting which comes ahead of West Bengal assembly polls, he said, "There is no political significance. I came to Delhi a few days ago; coincidentally, I got to meet him".

Chowdhury handed over a letter to Modi, in which he alleged that Bengali-speaking people are being treated as "infiltrators" in parts of the country. "Their only offence is that they speak in the Bengali language. They are often misunderstood by the administration concerned as persons belonging to neighbouring Bangladesh and treated as infiltrators," he wrote.

Rising communal tensions

Several parts of West Bengal have a majority Muslim population and share a border with Bangladesh. Communal tension is rising among communities in these areas as a result of such "attacks" elsewhere in the country, he said.

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He urged the prime minister to "sensitise all state governments" against discrimination, violence, and persecution of migrant labourers from other parts of the country.

Migrant workers targeted

A 30-year-old migrant worker, Jewel Rana from the Jangipur region in Murshidabad district in West Bengal, was killed in Sambalpur of Odisha on Wednesday (December 24) following an altercation over a 'bidi'.

Two migrant workers in Mumbai were also arrested on suspicion of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

The West Bengal Migrants Welfare Board has also said that it received 1,143 complaints of harassment in 10 months, especially in the BJP-ruled states.

Deletion of Matua voters

Chowdhury had earlier accused both the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the BJP of using the backward Matua community in West Bengal as a vote bank while failing to support them as they face uncertainty over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Matuas are a Dalit Hindu refugee community that migrated from Bangladesh over decades following religious persecution and have a significant presence across North 24 Parganas, Nadia and parts of South 24 Parganas.

"There is a conspiracy to delete names of most Matua community members from the voter list," Chowdhury had said.