GRAPES OF WRATH

A range of contentious issues has raised the ideological and political stakes of the TrinamoolBJP battle in West Bengal to the highest level

- SHEELA BHAT

Seema Ray stood in her ramshackle hut, holding a letter as if it were a death sentence. The letter informed her that the Unique Identification Authority of

India had deactivated the Aadhaar allotted to her husband, Parimal Ray.

Seema was in shock. Two decades ago, the Ray family had migrated from Bangladesh to West Bengal. They had been living in Cooper’s Camp, a town in Ranaghat subdivision of West Bengal’s Nadia district, which borders Bangladesh. The Rays are part of the Namasudra community, also called Matuas, who number around 70 lakh in West Bengal.

For migrant families residing in districts along the state’s 2,217kmlong border with Bangladesh, Aadhaar is more than a survival kit. Having an Aadhaar protects them from uncomfortable questions regarding their migration. Acquiring Aadhaar is also the first step in letting migrant families grow roots on Indian soil.

Parimal’s Aadhaar was his family’s lifeline. It helped Seema work as domestic help, and Parimal as a labourer. Their son Anik, who has liver disease, requires medicines worth ₹2,000 a month. The Ray family fears that they could well cease to exist if Parimal’s Aadhaar is permanently deactivated.