1 month ago
Last Updated: March 12, 2024, 14:58 IST
Shantanu Thakur is the grandson of Pramatha Ranjan Thakur who spearheaded the battle to ensure citizenship for the Matua community. (X @Shantanu_bjp)
The minister recalled his family’s long association with trying to get citizenship for minorities and said the erstwhile refugees would no longer be treated as second-class citizens
Monday will go down as a special day in the life of shipping minister Shantanu Thakur as the Union government notified the rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a move that is expected to affect over 50 assembly seats in West Bengal.
Thakur is the grandson of Pramatha Ranjan Thakur who spearheaded the battle to ensure citizenship for the Matua community. PR Thakur belonged to the Namasudra caste and adhered to Matua-ism — a Vaishnavite religious reform movement founded by his great-grandfather, Harichand Thakur. In the 1930s, PR Thakur took over the reins of the Matua community after the death of his grandfather Guruchand Thakur.
Speaking to News18 about his family’s prolonged struggle for citizenship, Shantanu Thakur hailed the Modi government’s move and said political opponents were on the back foot after the development.
Edited Excerpts:
How will the move affect you?
My grandfather PR Thakur worked hard to get citizenship for minorities in neighbouring countries who had fled to India. After 75 years, we will get ‘Azaadi’. Now we can say all are equal. From now on, nobody can say we are refugees. Modi-ji has secured our future generations. Any government may come to power 100 years later but it will never be able to call us infiltrators.
Today is a historic day and the credit goes to Modi-ji. We were treated like second-class citizens and have finally got our due. It’s a very emotional moment for us. It’s the second Independence Day for the Matua community.
Mamata Banerjee has called it a political gimmick.
She does not know about CAA, she is just trying to create confusion. She says we already had citizenship. My question to her is why were we asked for our documents before 1971 while applying for a passport?
Some people say the move will create a law and order situation.
Only the Union government can give citizenship to people and not state governments. It is a protection given by the country and state-level bureaucrats must help with its implementation. People are happy. From North Bengal to South Bengal, people are celebrating. It should be the duty of the state government to implement CAA.
Will it affect your votes?
One-and-a-half crore people will be benefitted by CAA. When results are announced, you will see what a profound impact this move had.
Kamalika Sengupta, Editor, Digital East of News18, is a multilingual journalist with 16 years of experience in covering the northeast, with specialisa
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