The faction of the All India Matua Mahasangha aligned with Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mamata Bala Thakur has announced a mass chanting of the name of Hari (Harinaam Sankirtan) by one lakh people at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.
Nantu Halder, the president of the Gosain Parishad within the Mamata Bala Thakur-aligned Matua Mahasangha, made the announcement at a press conference on Friday. He stated, “We want to organize a non-political program. There will be Harinaam Sankirtan by one lakh voices. A day in January will be finalized.”
Political Context and ‘Apolitical’ Claim
The announcement comes amidst recent political and religious programming at the Brigade Parade Ground. The Brigade, a historically significant venue in Kolkata’s political landscape, recently hosted a massive event where five lakh people participated in a recitation of the Gita.
On Thursday, TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised concerns about this event at a rally in Nadia, accusing it of being a form of religious polarization. She questioned, “What is the need for a public meeting just for reciting the Gita? Religion means humanity, religion means peace…”
Nantu Halder strongly asserted that the Matua group’s upcoming program will be completely devoid of any political overtones. He commented, “Everyone else is doing things with a political motive. Someone is organizing a Gita recitation, someone is organizing a Quran recitation. But the Matuas are entirely apolitical.”
Reasons Behind the Matua Program
Despite the claim of being “non-political,” Halder explained the event’s underlying purpose is linked to pressing community issues:
* Voter List Revision: The event is being organized with the intensive revision of the voter list in mind. Following the Harinaam, they plan to appeal to the Election Commission to ensure that the names of Matua community members are included in the electoral rolls.
* CAA Protest: The Matuas will also protest the fact that they have not yet received citizenship, despite filling out the forms for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Halder suggested the Harinaam event is being held to highlight these critical concerns of the Matua community.
