Home Minister Amit Shah to visit West Bengal

Amit Shah will visit West Bengal for two days from January 30 and he will address the social media volunteers at Science City Auditorium in Kolkata among other programs.

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will embark on a two-day visit to West Bengal from January 30.

The Home Minister has visited the poll-bound state several times in the past months.

Shah will start his state tour from Mayapur Chandrodaya Temple of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and later he will address the Matua community at a public rally at the Thakurbari ground in Parganas district, as per Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) officials.

Thakurnagar is considered as a stronghold of the Matua community. Earlier in November 2020, Shah had lunch with the community family at the North 24 Parganas area. This community is considered to be a big vote bank in West Bengal as it carries an impact of over two dozen assembly seats.

The community originates from erstwhile East Pakistan. They voted for BJP in 2019 and elected a young Matua Member of Parliament, Santanu Thakur.

Later on the same day (January 30), Shah will address the social media volunteers at Science City Auditorium in Kolkata.

On the second day of his visit on January 31, the Home Minister will visit Sri Aurobindo Bhawan in Kolkata and then to Bharat Sevashram Sangha in Rash Behari Avenue.

He will also address a public meeting and a massive programme at Dumurjola in Howrah and have lunch with a Bagdi family at Khalisani village here, after which he will move to Belur Math.

During the visit, he is likely to clear his stand on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) as Matua community leaders are repeatedly asking about the status of the law.

His last visit (on December 19-20) was politically significant as several Trinamool Congress (TMC) rebels, including party heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, joined the BJP in his presence.

(ANI)