BJP MLA sparks row over remark on deletion of Matua names from electoral rolls

Kolkata, Dec 24 (PTI) A BJP MLA of West Bengal sparked a controversy on Wednesday after allegedly commenting that if the names of one or two lakh Matua community people are deleted after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, let those people be damned.

The comment drew sharp criticism from the ruling Trinamool Congress, which called it reflective of the BJP’s attitude towards “bona fide” citizens, particularly members of the backward Hindu community who migrated to India from Bangladesh over the years.

BJP legislator Asim Sarkar made the comment when asked about reports that the names of a large number of members of the Matua community could be deleted from the electoral rolls, as they are yet to obtain Indian citizenship despite migrating decades ago.

"Let one lakh names be deleted, even two lakhs. Let them die if they cannot get citizenship,” Sarkar was quoted as saying while speaking to reporters in his Haringhata constituency, which has a sizeable Matua population.

Sarkar’s comment came days after Union minister and BJP leader Shantanu Thakur said that if 50 lakh Bangladeshi Muslims and Rohingyas are disenfranchised in the SIR, and, in the process, names of one lakh Matuas are removed from the voter list, it should be seen as a "necessary sacrifice".

The TMC expressed outrage over the MLA’s remark, calling it “arrogant” and reflective of the BJP’s attitude towards “bona fide citizens”.

“With this shocking and arrogant remark, BJP MLA Asim Sarkar has laid bare the BJP’s real attitude towards the Matua community,” the TMC said in a post on X.

“Those who were fed false promises of citizenship during elections, do they suddenly become ‘fit to die’ once the votes are taken?” the party asked.

In a further statement, the TMC alleged that the remark showed that the BJP treated the Matua community as “second-class citizens”.

“This is blinded by the arrogance of power. This is disgraceful. This is unforgivable,” the party said.

The Matua community, with an estimated population of three million in the state, can tilt the scales in favour of a political party in more than 30 assembly seats in Nadia, and North and South 24 Parganas districts bordering Bangladesh.

Since the 1990s, political parties have courted the support of the Matuas, whose substantial population and tendency to vote cohesively render them a valuable voting bloc ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in West Bengal. PTI SUS NN