Kolkata, Dec. 23 -- union minister of state and Matua face Shantanu Thakur sparked outrage and deep unease within his own community by openly declaring that deletion of names during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was "acceptable", even if it meant that nearly one lakh Matuas were deprived of their right to vote.
Speaking at a public meeting at Bagdah, North 24 Parganas, Thakur went so far as to argue that such "sacrifice" was justified in the name of cooperating with the Centre, while simultaneously asserting that voter cards or ration cards do not establish citizenship and pushing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) as the only solution for migrants from Bangladesh.
"SIR is not a problem for us. If we have to f...