West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday conferred the State's highest civilian award, Banga Bibhushan, on Binapani Devi, the head of a socio-religious body of Matuas, and announced that a new university will be set up in honour of religious leaders of the Matua community.
The Chief Minister, who was addressing a gathering on the occasion of centenary celebration of Binapani Devi at Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district, also announced a separate welfare board for the community.
Ms. Banerjee's visit to the Matua headquarters, a religious sect of Bangladeshi Dalits who predominantly belong to the Namasudra caste and are a deciding factor in many Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, assumes a lot of political significance.
Community rights
The Chief Minister said unlike certain States the West Bengal government is ensuring that the Matua community gets all its rights.
After announcing the initiatives to be taken to recognise the contribution of Matuas, Ms. Banerjee touched on the issue of the National Registrar of Citizens ( NRC) and how Namashudras are being targeted in Assam in the name of NRC.
“We are not against Assam. But in the name of NRC lakhs of people have been struck down. Is speaking Bangla a crime?" the Chief Minister asked.
Ms. Banerjee emphasised that the citizenship rights of people who came from East Pakistan before 1971 cannot be taken away.
"All those who came to India before 1971 are very much Indian citizens. They have their names on the voters' list, have ration cards and caste certificates," she added. The Chief Minister said that a Trinamool MP from Matua community, Mamata Bala Thakur, visited Assam earlier this month to speak to members of the Bengali community. She assured that West Bengal will stand by the Bangla-speaking people of Assam.
