Shantanu’s ‘OK if 1L Matua names deleted’ remark triggers fresh fear
Times of India | 24 December 2025
Kolkata: A statement by junior Union minister Shantanu Thakur on Monday, hinting at one lakh Matua deletions from voter rolls following SIR, has led to fresh unease in the already anxious Matua belt in Bengal.
Speaking at a public meeting at Bagdah's Garapota, Thakur, also the sabhadhipati of the BJP-backed faction of the All India Matua Mahasangha, said: "If excluding 50 lakh infiltrators means that one lakh people from my community are temporarily deprived of voting, which option is more beneficial?"
He went on to add that the Matua community must "endure difficulties" to cooperate with Centre. "Deletion of one lakh Matua names would be no problem if it helped remove the names of 50 lakh Rohingya, Bangladeshi Muslims, Pakistani Muslims and infiltrators."
Hitting back, TMC called Thakur's comment "nothing but a cynical, backstabbing betrayal". "For years, they (BJP) dangled the mirage of citizenship in front of our Matua brothers and sisters, conning them election after election with honeyed lies, only to stab them in the back the moment the votes were pocketed," the party said on X. "Now, with the EC reduced to their obedient B-team, BJP has rammed through their Silent Invisible Rigging (SIR) abomination in Bengal, forcing millions of Matuas into a humiliating litmus test of citizenship designed to strip them of their rights and erase their votes," the party posted.
More than one lakh voters from the Matua heartland — spread across four assembly constituencies in North 24 Parganas's Bongaon subdivision — are likely to receive notices for hearings following the publication of draft electoral rolls on Dec 16.
"Our MP (Shantanu Thakur) earlier assured us that no Matua names would be deleted from the voter list while we applied for CAA certificates at camps. But now, he is talking about deleting one lakh Matua names," said Swapan Gayen, a resident of Thakurnagar. "We are yet to receive certificates. EC has listed 11 documents for hearings, but we don't have even one."
District-level election officials said 15–20% of those flagged may still have a "glimmer of hope" as they have already received citizenship certificates. However, anxiety persists even among those who have received SMS alerts from the Union home ministry confirming that certificates have been issued. "Will the certificates reach us in time?" asked one resident.
"We have been voting for 15 years. We have EPICs and Aadhaar, and we voted in the last Lok Sabha election," said Swapan Gosai, a Matua community leader. "If our names are deleted, the impact will go beyond voting — it will deepen uncertainty about our citizenship," he added.
Thakur on Monday also strongly pitched for CAA, calling it "an extremely important issue". "Those who came from Bangladesh must apply under CAA. Having a voter card or ration card does not make one a citizen," he said.
According to sources, Thakur has been assured the community for months that "everyone would get citizenship and everyone's name will remain on the voters' list". Camps were held at Thakurnagar, where certificates attesting to Hindu identity were distributed, bearing his signature. However, following the publication of the draft rolls, Thakur appeared to strike a different note.
Amid mounting anxiety, Thakur said on Monday night that all Matuas would ultimately receive citizenship and retain their voting rights.