Kolkata, April 26 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid a visit to Matua Thakur Mandir in Thakurnagar of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal ahead of his election rally there and recalled his meeting with Matua community matriarch Binapani Devi a few years ago.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister also shared a photograph of him meeting Binapani Devi in 2019. “Today, when I was at the Matua Thakur Mandir, I remembered my previous visit to this Temple a few years ago, when I had also got the blessings of Boro Ma Binapani Thakur. Here is a photograph from that visit,” wrote the Prime Minister.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in February 2019, PM Modi met the Matua community matriarch Binapani Devi in Thakurnagar and took her blessings. However, in March 2019, Binapani Devi passed away.

Binapani Devi was married to Pramatha Ranjan Thakur, whose great-grandfather, Harichand Thakur, had founded the Matua Mahasangha over a century ago.

Matuas belong to the Scheduled Caste Namasudra community that migrated to India in large numbers, first during the Partition, and then after the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

It may be noted that the Prime Minister, in the middle of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls and during his trip to Bangladesh, visited Orakandi, where the founder of the Matua sect, Harichand Thakur, was born.

While addressing his election rally in Thakurnagar on Sunday, PM Modi also recalled his visit to Orakandi.

“Many memories were refreshed today. About 4 to 5 years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Orakandi across the border. I met the Matuas there. I went there for the first time as the Prime Minister of India. I performed a puja in the temple. When I went to seek Boro Ma’s blessings, her compassion was overwhelming. I will never forget this,” said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister said that the Centre implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) to help members of communities such as Matuas get the country’s citizenship.

“Syama Prasad Mookerjee won from Kolkata. At that time, Jana Sangh got a lot of support from 24 Parganas and Nadia. He stood by the refugees from East Bengal. He spoke for them. Syama Prasad is considered the spokesperson for the refugees. From Partition till today, all the refugees are our responsibility. It is India’s historical responsibility to think about them. That is why Modi brought the CAA. Why was this not done before? I will tell the Matuas and Namasudras that you will be given citizenship, permanent address, papers, and all the rights that all citizens of India get. This is Modi’s guarantee,” said the PM.

–IANS

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