: The issue of refugees has once again become a topic of political debate in West Bengal with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) planning agitations demanding citizenship rights in the coming months.
Senior CPI (M) leader and secretary of the North 24 Parganas district committee Goutam Deb said that the party will stage demonstrations outside the office of North 24 Parganas District Magistrate in which more than 20,000 refugees will participate.
‘Political mileage’Commenting on the development, State President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rahul Sinha accused the CPI (M) of trying to gain political mileage. The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has also described it as a futile attempt of indulging in vote bank politics as none of the refuges seeking permanent status support the party.
It is interesting that the issue of refugees particularly for those belonging to the Matua community, a socio-religious sect, which crossed over from Bangladesh, has come up after the death of AITC Kapil Krishna Thakur MP representing the Bongaon Lok Sabha constituency. Addressing a press conference here on Monday Mr. Sinha said, “Prior to the Lok Sabha by-poll, the CPI (M) has suddenly waked up to the Mautua issue.” Mr. Sinha also accused the CPI (M) of indulging in “narrow minded communal politics.” He claimed that having lost public support in Bengal, the CPI (M) is trying to capitalise on the refugee issue to regain political relevance.
“In 34 years of its rule, the CPI(M) completely ignored the matuas. Mr Deb is not aware of the political realities of Bongaon area where the CPI(M) was close to getting its deposit forfeited in the Lok Sabha polls,” senior AITC leader and State’s Minister Jyotipriya Mullick said.
On Friday, Mr. Deb declared that in December the CPI (M) will organise a gathering of “20,000 refugees” and submit a memorandum to the concerned District Magistrate demanding citizenship for them. He asked if the Centre can spend Rs.500 crore for those who came from Kashmir to Delhi, then why do refugees of North 24 Parganas have to live beside rail tracks.
Earlier during the campaign for Lok Sabha polls, AITC chairperson and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was locked in in a war of words with BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the refugee issue.
