Abhishek Banerjee shown black flags at Matua bastion in North 24 Parganas
Statesman | 12 June 2023
Trinamool Congress’s national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee faced massive protests and was shown black flags after he reached the Matua bastion of Thakurnagar in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Sunday as part of his ongoing mass- outreach programme.
Matuas, a scheduled caste community, originally from neighbouring Bangladesh, constitutes a sizable portion of voters in several Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in the state. Thakurnagar is considered their traditional base.
As Banerjee reached the residence and temple of Matua spiritual leader, late Binapani Devi a.k.a. Boro Ma, several people from the community started showing him black flags and shouting slogans that he will not be allowed to enter the temple.
The situation turned even more serious as Union Minister and local MP Santanu Thakur, escorted by central armed forces personnel and his associates, reached the spot. With the help of the central forces personnel, he locked the gate of the temple from inside.
Unable to enter the main temple, Banerjee offered the puja from outside the temple and then, threw a virtual challenge at the Union minister.
“I will come here at an interval of every three months. Stop me if you can. Santanu Thakur and his associates in BJP are responsible for this chaos. I did not come here for any political programme. I just came to offer my prayers at the temple. But they locked the temple gate from inside and did not allow me to offer prayers. I entrust the local people to give a fitting reply,” he said.
Thakur alleged that hours before Banerjee came, the entire temple complex was under control of the state police. “The protests on part of the people of the community were spontaneous. It was Banerjee’s associates who tried to create chaos in the place,” he alleged.