Adhikari Blames Banerjee for Dividing Matua Community and Opposing CAA

What Happened

West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Sunday that former chief minister Mamata Banerjee divided the Matua community and opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act. He made the remarks while addressing reporters in Thakurnagar, the Matua stronghold in North 24 Parganas, during the International Matua Gosai Convention 2026.

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Adhikari added that Banerjee "did nothing for the Matuas" and pledged to announce measures to help the community and include them in state policy. He said his biggest achievement would be any step that benefits Thakurnagar and promised to work for the Matua people in the coming days.

Context

The Matua community is a Scheduled Caste group that grew out of a 19th‑century reform movement led by Harichand Thakur. The movement originally mobilised the Namasudra caste in undivided eastern Bengal, which is also classified as a Scheduled Caste in West Bengal. The Citizenship Amendment Act provides citizenship to persecuted minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, a law Banerjee reportedly opposed.