Kolkata, Sep 12 Despite facing all round-pressure both from outside and within her party over her recent comments on the Matua community, Trinamool Congress' Lok Sabha member from Krishnanagar constituency in Nadia district of West Bengal, Mahua Moitra, on Friday stuck to her stand on the issue and justified her comments that created political stir in the state since the beginning of his month.
At a recent public meeting at Krishnanagar, Moitra commented on the leanings of the Matua community voters, a Backward Class Hindu community who came to West Bengal as refugees from neighbouring Bangladesh and settled in pockets of Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts, towards the BJP.
"What kind of approach is this when one is with Trinamool Congress around the year, and then behaves like a traditional Hindu before the elections? When you need work, development schemes, or roads, you think of Mamata Banerjee. You come to collect allowance under different state development schemes, wearing wooden bracelets. Then what happens to you? I know that the video of my speech will go viral. I really do not care," the Trinamool Congress MP was heard saying at the public meeting at Krishnanagar.
On Friday, Moitra justified her comments while speaking to the media.
“My comments are being misinterpreted by the BJP. It is a fact that Trinamool Congress candidates got defeated in the Bangaon and Ranaghat Lok Sabha constituencies in two consecutive Lok Sabha polls. But still, the development projects of the state government were not stopped in these constituencies. On the other hand, the BJP stopped central funds under centrally-sponsored projects for West Bengal after getting defeated in West Bengal. I meant that only,” Moitra said.
Incidentally, both Bangaon Lok Sabha constituency in North 24 Parganas district and Ranaghat constituency in Nadia district are Matua-dominated constituencies, and BJP candidates got elected from both these constituencies in both the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Earlier this week, the legal cell of All India Matua Mahasangh, headed by Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Mamata Bala Thakur, filed an FIR at the Haringhata Police Station in Nadia district of West Bengal against Moitra for her Matua comments.
Last week, the association wrote a letter to the Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, raising the demand that Moitra should publicly apologise for her comments, which had hurt the sentiments of the people from the Matua community.
Prior to that, the Mahasangh issued a statement condemning Moitra for her anti-Matua comments and also demanded a public apology from her in the matter. However, with Moitra not having withdrawn her comments nor apologized for the same so far, the association has now filed an FIR against her.
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