TMC says Modi speech ignored Matua concerns amid SIR-related voter anxieties

The TMC (Trinamool Congress) on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at a rally in Taherpur, West Bengal, failed to address concerns of the Matua community amid anxieties over deletions from the draft electoral rolls under the SIR (Special Intensive Revision).

TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said the Prime Minister’s speech showed a “lack of concern” for the Matuas, a Dalit Hindu refugee community that migrated from Bangladesh over decades. He also alleged that Modi did not speak about claims of harassment of Bengali-speaking people in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states.

“Modi’s speech lacked vision and responsibility. He did not address the concerns of the Matuas,” Ghosh told reporters.

The first statewide SIR in West Bengal since 2002 has triggered uncertainty among sections of voters, particularly within the Matua community, over identity and citizenship. According to Election Commission (EC) data, 58,20,898 names have been excluded from the draft electoral rolls, reducing the electorate from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore.

The EC has also flagged around 1.36 crore entries for logical discrepancies, while nearly 30 lakh voters have been categorised as unmapped, taking the total number of voters who may be called for hearings to about 1.66 crore. Leaders of the Matua community across party lines have claimed that a significant share of those affected belong to the community.

Ghosh further alleged that the Prime Minister did not comment on cases in which Indian citizens were allegedly pushed into Bangladesh by police in BJP-ruled states and later returned following judicial intervention. He referred to the case of migrant Sunali Khatun, who returned to India on 6 December after being pushed into Bangladesh earlier this year.

The TMC leader also accused the Centre of withholding funds meant for welfare projects in West Bengal, including under the 100-day rural employment scheme, rural housing and drinking water projects. He claimed the state government was mobilising its own resources to continue these initiatives.

Ghosh further alleged that crowd mismanagement linked to the rally led to a train accident involving BJP workers travelling to the event. Railway authorities said three people were killed and three injured after being hit by a train amid dense fog while heading to the rally venue in Nadia district.

TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty claimed there was visible anger among sections of the Matua community, citing protest posters opposing the Prime Minister’s visit.

At the rally, Modi criticised the TMC-led government, describing the situation in West Bengal as “maha jungle raj” and alleging corruption, nepotism and appeasement. Addressing the gathering over the phone from Kolkata, he urged voters to give the BJP a chance to form a “double-engine government” in the 2026 Assembly elections.

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said the Matua community was dissatisfied with both the BJP and the TMC, alleging that the community had been treated as a vote bank without resolution of citizenship issues.