Modi seeks to woo women voters in Katwa as he mentions Sitabhog
The Statesman | 13 April 2026
From Chaitanya Dev to the plight of Bengal’s potato farmers, from infiltration and citizenship to the fate of the Matuas and alleged ‘bhrashtachar’ by the TMC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a packed rally here today, sharpening his attack on the Trinamul Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee.
He also referred to Burdwan’s famed sweets, Sitabhog and Mihidana, during his speech in Katwa.
Applauding the gathering at Dhatrigram ground near Katwa town in East Burdwan, Modi said: “I can tell you, had a meeting been arranged in the morning hours in my place in Gujarat, such a crowd could hardly have been recorded.” Citing the turnout, he expressed confidence that Bengal was ready for political change, calling the public response a “proclamation of trust over fear”.
Katwa has, over the centuries, remained a politically influential area inhabited largely by paddy, potato and jute growers, including a significant population of Matua and Namasudra migrants from Bangladesh. The Vaishnavism founder Chaitanya Dev spent considerable time in Katwa. Former BJP president JP Nadda had, in 2021, mistakenly claimed it as his birthplace.
In the wake of the recent Special Intensive Revision by the Election Commission, which has excluded a sizeable number of Matuas, Modi said: “I have come here to give a guarantee that the BJP, if voted to power, will fast-track the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Bengal to grant citizenship to Matua, Namasudra and other refugee communities.”
He assured refugee families that their rights were protected by the Constitution and the CAA, not by the ruling Trinamul Congress. “Modi enacted CAA so that the Matua, Namasudra and all refugees receive the guarantee of the Constitution of India,” he said. The Namasudras are a prominent Bengali caste from East Bengal, classified as a Scheduled Caste in Bengal, Assam and Tripura.
Modi’s ‘guarantee’ came a day after the BJP, in its poll manifesto, promised citizenship and rehabilitation for all Hindu refugees.
In a state where refugee identity and citizenship remain politically sensitive, the Prime Minister accused the TMC government of spreading fear while failing to safeguard the interests of migrant communities. He also promised to implement a Uniform Civil Code to end “appeasement politics” and asserted that the BJP would prevent demographic imbalance in the state.
Launching a sharp attack on illegal immigration, he warned that infiltrators and their facilitators would face strict action. “The BJP government will free Bengal from the clutches of infiltrators. I am telling every infiltrator to pack up their luggage, as it is time for them to leave,” he said.
Highlighting the BJP’s poll promises, Modi said a future government would ensure accountability under the slogan “Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka hisaab”, and release a white paper on alleged corruption involving TMC leaders, MLAs and ministers.
He made a concerted appeal to women voters, urging them to turn out in large numbers. “In Bihar, Maharashtra and Haryana, the high turnout of women voters has toppled governments. In Kerala, it has unsettled both the LDF and the UDF. Now, it is your turn to help alter the fate of Bengal,” he said.
The Prime Minister outlined welfare measures, including Rs 3,000 monthly assistance for women, age relaxation in government jobs for youth, and implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission for state employees. Farmers would receive Rs 9,000 annually under an expanded PM-Kisan scheme, he said, addressing the rally in a district known as Bengal’s rice bowl.
He, however, refrained from commenting on the rising price of fertilisers, an issue troubling farmers in recent times. Modi criticised the TMC over farmer distress and governance, saying: “This part of Bengal produces large quantities of potato and jute, but the TMC government remains unperturbed when cultivators do not receive fair prices.” He added: “Jute farmers earlier received Rs 2,400 per quintal, which has now increased to Rs 5,500.”