A political slugfest is being played out following the demise of Binapani Thakur, the matriarch of Matuas, Bengal's largest refugee community, popularly known as 'Boro Ma'.
Shantanu Thakur, the grandson of 102-year-old Boro Ma, and Mamata Bala Thakur, her daughter-in-law engaged in a war of words after the body was brought to Thakurnagar 'Thakurbari ', the hub of Motua community.
Shantanu is the leader of BJP aligned faction of the community and the president of All India Matua Mahasangha. Mamata Bala Thakur is the TMC MP from Bongaon.
"Mamata Bala Thakur is responsible for the death of Boro Ma,” Shantanu alleged.
Furthermore, Shantanu claimed Boro Ma had sent a letter to the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging her to support the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
"Boro Ma had requested to support the bill, " Shantanu said.
Mamatabala tried to prove that the letter was a forged document, he alleged.
The bill seeks to make illegal migrants of certain minority communities eligible for Indian citizenship.
The Matuas, who originally hail from Bangladesh, faced religious persecution in their homeland and migrated to West Bengal after partition and even after the 1971 Bangladesh war. Many Matuas even today do not have citizenship in West Bengal and Modi's push for the Citizenship Amendment Bill reportedly brought a section of the community closer to the BJP.
"The letter was not written by Binapani Thakur,” Mamatabala Thakur said.
Shantanu Thakur claimed that the ruling TMC tried to conceal the truth.
"The TMC is trying to hide the truth. I suspect that Mamatabala killed Boro Ma to conceal the truth ," Shantanu charged.
Shantanu also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over Boroma’s death.
Manjulkrisna Thakur, a former minster in Mamata Banerjee's government who joined BJP later, came out with another spin.
Manjulkrishna charged that the death of his elder brother Kapilkrishna Thakur, husband of Mamata Bala Thakur, was not natural.
Kapilkrishna was the MP from Bongaon.
The TMC has slammed the charges made by the BJP leaders.
State Food minister Jyotipriyo Mallick blamed Shantanu for politicising the passing away of Boro Ma.
“How many times can a person make such comments? Shantanu never went to visit his grandmother,” Mamata Bala Thakur said.
Binapani Thakur's death was due to natural causes, according to SSKM hospital authorities.
She died of multi-organ failure and had pre-existing conditions including lung ailments.
The tussle over Boro Ma's death assumes significance as the Matua community wields clout to be a decisive factor in five Lok Sabha seats.
However, political observers believe the Matua community members would go by their own reading of the political situation in the election rather than toeing the line of their late leader.
Following Boro Ma’s death on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi tweeted: "Boro Ma Binapani Thakur was an icon of our times. A source of great strength and inspiration for several people, Boro Ma’s rich ideals will continue to influence generations. Her emphasis on social justice and harmony will never be forgotten."
Modi also tweeted about his meeting with Boro Ma. "Last month, I had the honour of seeking the blessings of Boro Ma Binapani Thakur at Thakurnagar. I will always cherish the interaction I had with her. We stand in solidarity with the Matua community in this hour of sadness."
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also issued a condolence message and described the death of Boro Ma as a heavy loss. Banerjee has decided to accord Boro Ma a funeral with state honours.
Boro Ma had been reportedly peeved at the crossfire between two sections of the Matua community.
The last rites of Matua community matriarch will will be held at Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district.
"The last rites, with state honours and gun salute, will be performed on Thursday in deference to the wishes of her million of followers who want to attend it and other family members," Mamata Bala Thakur said.
How, the family slugfest will play out in the political turf in the polls remains to be seen.
