Newz Desk, Durgapur: The process of granting citizenship to people who migrated to India from Bangladesh will begin soon, Union Minister of State Shantanu Thakur said during a visit to Durgapur on Sunday. He also said that applicants would be able to approach the respective District Magistrates for citizenship-related applications, which, he claimed, would help speed up the process.
Thakur was speaking at a programme organised at Bidhan Bhavan in Durgapur’s Steel Township, where a new committee of the Matua Sena wing of the All India Matua Mahasangha, Paschim Bardhaman district, was formed. MLA Soma Thakur, Laxman Ghorui, Chandrashekhar Bandyopadhyay and several leaders and workers of the Matua organisation were present at the event.
Addressing the gathering, Thakur said a large number of people had migrated to India from Bangladesh and alleged that they had faced prolonged uncertainty over citizenship and had been deprived of various government services. According to Thakur, the situation has changed with the BJP-led governments at both the Centre and in the state. He said the citizenship process would be expedited once District Magistrates became involved in the process. “Many people came to India from Bangladesh. The previous Trinamool government delayed their citizenship process and they were deprived of various services. Now there is a double-engine government at the Centre and in the state. The citizenship process will begin within a few days. Since the District Magistrates will carry out the process, it will be expedited,” Thakur said.
The Union minister also spoke about the restructuring of the Matua Sena and its future activities. He said the organisation would not restrict itself to organisational work but would also undertake various welfare and service-oriented initiatives for people. He added that the Matua Sena would assist members of the community with matters related to citizenship and help them navigate the process.
The announcement generated considerable enthusiasm among members and supporters of the Matua community attending the programme. With the formation of the new district committee and the citizenship-related assurance from the Union minister, fresh expectations have emerged among the community over the issue.
