The Centre had last month notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Act
They have fooled us, lamented Biswajit Bain, one of the Matuas in West Bengal’s Bongaon in North 24 Paraganas district, three weeks after the Centre notified the Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA. In Bengal, for those belonging to the Matua community, the CAA has been an emotive issue. Matuas belong to the marginalised Hindu community that had migrated from Bangladesh during the Liberation war.
The Matuas, primarily Namasudras, constitute a substantial population of around 3 crore in West Bengal alone, wielding influence over 60 assembly constituencies in the state. However, the community”s stance on the necessity of acquiring fresh citizenship is divided, exacerbated by the political discourse between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), both of which sought to court the Matua vote bank during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Initial enthusiasm among the Matua community following the enactment of the CAA, however, quickly dissipated. The CAA regulations stipulate the submission of documents to establish applicants’ ties with their country of origin. The proof of the nationality of the applicant”s parents is also required. For instance, while an applicant may provide copies of their parents” passports or any document verifying their date of birth, if such documentation is unavailable, the birth certificate of the applicant, containing the names of both parents, becomes mandatory.
“We came from Bangladesh under trying times. We somehow saved our lives and came to India. We had entered India illegally and had we deposed ourselves before the police then, there was no guarantee that we wouldn’t be deported back to Bangladesh. We didn’t have our own birth certificate, how can they even think we will have birth certificate of our parents who were born in a different era all together, where hospital births were a luxury and the society had no birth certificate culture. This is hilarious but I am sorry, it feels like we have been played around”, 48-year-old Suman Kanti Biswas, a BJP worker, who also contested the 2023 Panchayat elections in West Bengal, told independent news portal News The Truth (NTT).
A resident of Uttar Simulpara in North 24 Paraganas, Biswas possesses all necessary Indian credentials, including a passport, having been a registered voter for over two decades. He holds an Aadhaar card, linked to his bank accounts and utilised for various official purposes. Despite his established citizenship status, Biswas was among the earliest individuals to attempt applying for citizenship through the government portal.
“We went to a nearby cyber cafe and after multiple attempts we could finally make some progress on the website. But the website wanted documents showing my relation with Bangladesh. I had to retreat from there and never submitted the final application. I feel like asking they who designed the rules, if they have the birth certificate of their parents and if this was a brutal joke to our emotions”, added Biswas.
Biswas, a devoted follower of BJP MP Santanu Thakur, who hails from the Harichand Thakur family lineage with roots in Bangladesh, expressed disappointment alongside numerous other BJP workers from the Bongaon region. They were disheartened by the silence from their MP, who had made the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) a cornerstone of his political campaign.
Thakur, representing Bangaon, had famously declared his intention to seek citizenship through the CAA, as notified by the Centre. However, his silence on the matter has left many of his supporters feeling let down and perplexed.
“We had approached the MP. But the MP asked us to stay quiet for now. He said the rules were framed by a non-Bengali and thus the Matua interests are skipped. He told us to stay silent now and he would do something afterwards, what he never said much”, said Sachindra Mondal.
Mondal had participated in rallies demanding CAA. “We understand without verification nothing can happen. One has to prove whether I am a Matua from Bangladesh or any other illegal migrant from another nation trying to take advantage of CAA. If verification is unavoidable then why was this CAA carrot dangled before us for this long. We have all Indian credentials and might as well start feeling like complete citizen of India,” Mondal added in the NTT report.
“BJP leaders told us we will be given citizenship card under CAA and that will be the number one proof of being an Indian. I have my passport too. Others have faced a challenge in getting their passport done. According to our BJP leaders, if we have the CAA card then no one will be able to throw us out from India, ever. But after seeing the rules I will not apply for CAA anymore. I am happy with the Indian documents. Let me see how they throw me out. If I have to be deported then Santanu Thakur too has to be deported,” said Mahua Mondal, another resident of Bongaon and a BJP worker.
She enjoys every social security schemes including free ration and wonders if applying for CAA will bring any temporary halt to those services.
The Centre had last month notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, implementing the law across the country under which non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan fleeing religious persecution can seek Indian citizenship. Persons from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian communities from these countries, who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, can seek citizenship under the law.
