Kolkata: The All India Trinamool Congress launched a sharp social media offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday, accusing the saffron party of politically manipulating the Matua community ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.

The ruling party in West Bengal alleged that the central government has weaponised the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls to disenfranchise members of the refugee community. Trinamool leaders claimed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the recent revision process has led to the deletion of thousands of names from voter lists in Matua-dominated districts like North 24 Parganas.

Allegations of Citizenship Betrayal

The online campaign specifically targeted the Union government’s implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Bala Thakur questioned the validity of the BJP’s promises, asserting that the community has been led into a bureaucratic trap. She argued that while the BJP promised citizenship through the CAA, the actual outcome for many has been the loss of existing voting rights through administrative scrutiny.

Union Minister Shantanu Thakur and other BJP leaders have consistently defended the CAA as a protective measure for the community. However, the Trinamool Congress is capitalising on local anxieties as lakhs of devotees gather in Thakurnagar for the annual Baruni Fair, which begins Tuesday.

Rising Political Temperature

The social media clash follows a period of heightened rhetoric between the two parties. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the state administration as a "Maha Jungle Raj" during a recent rally, Trinamool representatives retaliated by citing recent incidents of local violence as evidence of BJP-sponsored unrest.

Political analysts suggest the focus on the Matua vote is critical, as the community influences the outcome in approximately 50 assembly seats.