PM to address 1st rally in Bengal on Saturday after draft roll release amid SIR concerns of Matuas

Kolkata : Amid the SIR atmosphere, the fourth Paribartan Sankalp Sabha of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being held today at Taherpur in Ranaghat, a Matua-dominated area. After six years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is once again at the Taherpur ground in Nadia. On that earlier occasion, he had promised to pass the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and clear the path for permanent citizenship for refugees. He has kept that promise. However, ahead of Modi’s visit this time, discussions across the country are focused on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. And in this tensed atmosphere surrounding SIR, elections, voter lists, and citizenship, political circles believe that the Prime Minister’s visit is set to be particularly significant.

At a time when concern, anxiety, and resentment among a section of the Matua community over the issue of granting citizenship have begun to surface in the SIR atmosphere, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally today at Taherpur in Ranaghat, a Matua-dominated area. With state assembly elections just a year away, the issues of CAA and citizenship have heightened discomfort for the BJP in this SIR atmosphere. Amidst this, the Prime Minister’s public meeting is scheduled for Saturday in Taherpur, Ranaghat, a Matua-stronghold. Will he offer any reassurance to the Matuas on the issue of citizenship? That speculation is now running high.

On Saturday, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will also be accompanying the Prime Minister. Around 11 a.m. today, he will land at the helipad in Netaji Park, Taherpur, in Ranaghat, Nadia district, and inaugurate projects worth approximately ₹3,200 crore. He will inaugurate the 66.7-km-long four-laning of the Barajaguli-Krishnanagar section of NH-34 in Nadia district and lay the foundation stone for the four-laning of the 17.6-km-long Barasat Barajaguli section in North 24 Parganas district.

Around noon, Modi will participate in the public meeting. Following the inauguration and foundation-laying of two national highway projects, political observers are closely watching what message the Prime Minister conveys to Ranaghat–Bongaon and to the people of Bengal.

On Friday evening, the Prime Minister made two separate posts on social media, clearly distinguishing between an administrative event and a political meeting in West Bengal. In his first post, he wrote, “I am eagerly looking forward to meeting the people of West Bengal on December 20.” He then mentioned the two national highway expansion projects and wrote, “These projects will further improve connectivity between Kolkata and Siliguri.”

However, in Modi’s second post, he wrote, “In the afternoon, I will address the BJP’s public meeting in Ranaghat. The people of West Bengal are benefiting from many people-oriented schemes of the Central Government. But at the same time, due to the misgovernance of the Trinamool Congress in every sphere of the state, they are suffering hardships. The looting and intimidation by Trinamool has crossed all limits. That is why today, the BJP is the only hope and reliance for the people.”

This post by Modi on X has indicated what the tone of his speech at Saturday’s public rally in Taherpur might be like.