Kolkata, Sept. 8 -- The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday lashed out at the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh for the "illegal" arrest of 18 Bengali-speaking hawkers from Bengal, branding them as "outsiders", even as a fresh controversy emerged from Maharashtra, where BJP MP and All-India Matua Mahasangha office bearer Shantanu Thakur revealed in a social media post that several members of the Matua community had been arrested in Pune on charges of being Bangladeshi.

The BJP leader's post suggested that those belonging to the Hindu caste were also arrested after labelling them as Bangladeshi. Thakur, however, claimed that having ID cards issued by Matua Mahasangha does not necessarily mean that they are the bonafide citizens of the country. Thakur claimed that a communication was set up with those arrested in Pune, and they were made to apply for CAA. He also claimed that those who were arrested have been released.

Incidentally, Thakur had sparked controversy over the issuance of identity cards under his supervision to its members which, he claimed, would be submitted to the ECI for securing citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Some of the ruling Trinamool Congress's leaders had directly accused Thakur of issuing religion certificates in exchange for money to Bangladeshi immigrants ineligible for Indian citizenship under the CAA.

In a parallel development, around 18 migrant hawkers, residents of Murshidabad district of West Bengal, were detained at Nagar police station in Uttar Pradesh's Basti district after being labelled as Bangladeshis. Trinamool Congress again raised a question as to how can an Indian citizen, armed with Aadhaar, Voter ID, and every proof of citizenship be branded a foreigner?

"How can 18 hawkers from Murshidabad be dragged from their rented homes, detained in the dead of night, abused, and extorted by the police in @BJP4India-ruled Uttar Pradesh? Article 14 guarantees equality before law. Yet Bengali-speaking citizens were singled out, criminalised, and branded "outsiders", Trinamool Congress wrote on X.

It further added: "Article 19(1)(d) & (e) guarantees every citizen the right to move freely and reside anywhere in the territory of India. Yet they were punished simply for seeking livelihood outside Bengal. Article 21 guarantees the right to life with dignity. Yet what dignity remains when an Indian citizen is locked up and branded as a 'Bangladeshi' despite valid documents, and then extorted for freedom?" "This is the BJP's true face, BANGLA-BIRODHI rajneeti that thrives on SUSPICION, DIVISION, and HATRED. A politics that CRIMINALISES BENGALIS for speaking their mother tongue," it added.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.