Tangled in CAA mesh, Matuas to wait till a new government is formed
Telegraph | 18 March 2024
The All India Matua Mahasangha has decided to advise community members not to submit citizenship applications till a new government is formed and simplifies the process.
The decision by the community’s apex organisation comes at a time many Matuas’ attempts to file applications under the new citizenship regime have failed for the lack of necessary documents. This has generated anxiety about the process.
Most Matuas are Hindus from Bangladesh and have welcomed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which speeds up citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Community leaders said talks were on with the Centre for possible amendments to the act to simplify its provisions. The pro-BJP faction in the Mahasangha hopes the Narendra Modi government will return to power and carry this out.
The organisation will hold a meeting in Thakurnagar on Monday, where it is likely to adopt a formal resolution on the subject.
"There is immense excitement among the people to get citizenship. But they have been facing problems since the online application seeks several documents that include proof of original residence, which is in Bangladesh," Mahasangha general secretary Mahitosh Baidya said.
Baidya added: "But after such a long time, arranging these
documents becomes impossible. So we have advised the applicants to wait until
the Lok Sabha polls are over."
Mahasangha insiders said several community members had over the past two
days registered with the citizenship portal for filing applications, but most
had failed to submit the form.
The organisation’s leaders on Sunday faced a volley of questions at a
meeting in Chakdah, an Assembly segment in Nadia under the Ranaghat Lok Sabha
constituency, and advised community members to wait for now.
"The Centre will not be able to make any amendments to the
provisions (now). So we will formally advise people to wait until the new
government is formed and amendments for simplified provisions are made,"
a Matua leader said.
Several Mahasangha members alleged that a statement by the
organisation's chief patron Shantanu Thakur — also the BJP's Bongaon MP and a
junior Union minister — had caused further confusion.
Thakur has advised people to submit citizenship applications
"without fear", saying he too would do the same.
"I shall apply for citizenship although I don’t need to, because my
grandfather had a citizenship card. I will apply for citizenship only to check
if I am (marked out as a non-citizen) denied any benefit," he said at
Bagdah on Saturday.
Some of the act’s critics have warned that as soon as citizenship
applications are submitted, the applicants would be identified as illegal
immigrants and denied many of the benefits they now enjoy.
Thakur is India-born and a full-fledged citizen, without which he could
not have become an MP or minister.
A senior Mahasangha functionary called Thakur out over his statement.
"He is not eligible --- he can in no way submit such an
application…. What he said has caused further confusion among the already
confused Matuas," the
Mahasangha functionary said.
On Sunday, Thakur backtracked. "I said so basically to
encourage people to apply without fear," he said, implying he was not
actually going to apply for citizenship under the controversial law.
Prasenjit Bose, convener of the Joint Forum against NRC --- a conglomerate
of organisations protesting the new citizenship matrix --- raised questions
over Thakur’s statement.
“Thakur’s statement amply proves that he is not an Indian. So the Prime
Minister and the Union home minister (Amit Shah) should publicly clarify how they
made an illegal immigrant a Union minister, and whether they were aware of his
true identity,” he said.
The Trinamul Congress virtually echoed Bose.
“As soon as he applies, he will become an (illegal) immigrant and can no
longer remain Union minister. He will not even be allowed by the Election
Commission of India to contest the election, unless he is declared an Indian
citizen by the Centre,” Bengal industry minister Shashi Panja said.
State education minister Bratya Basu said he wanted answers from Shah on
how an illegal immigrant had been appointed to the Union council of ministers.
"For now, we will wait to see how Shantanu Thakur applies for
citizenship through the portal," Basu said.