Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 16 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a fierce attack on the BJP and governments led by the party, accusing it of discrimination against Bengali-speaking citizens in the state.
In a fiery speech, she alleged that people were being harassed based on language, identity, and political bias. She recalled the recent incidents and alleged that people from Bengal were being harassed in states like Maharashtra and Assam.
“The Assam government has sent notices to Bengalis living in Bengal. What is happening?” she said, urging people to resist such divisive moves.
Speaking at the rally, she expressing outrage over arrests of Bengali-speaking individuals in other states, saying, “If someone works, suddenly you arrest them and take them away. Show that document. You’re taking his elderly mother, his wife, his children to jail. Did they deter him? They spoke in Bengali.” She claimed that Bengalis were being punished simply for using their mother tongue.
Furthermore, she accused the Election Commission and BJP of selectively removing names of Bengali voters while allowing outsiders to vote in Bengal. “With a Bangla man, three Gujarat names, two Delhi names, and four Rajasthan names are appearing. What’s going on?” she questioned, claiming the BJP was trying to shift the electoral balance ahead of 2025.
“They are dreaming with the numbers on the voter list,” she later added.
The Chief Minister, along with Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee and several party leaders, led a massive protest march in Kolkata today, raising strong allegations of harassment against Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states.
Senior ministers, MLAs, and grassroots workers participated in the demonstration, which was billed as a show of solidarity with Bengalis living outside West Bengal.
In its post on X, the Trinamool Congress said, ” BJP’s assault on Bengali identity is no longer covert, it’s brutal, deliberate, and fuelled by hate. Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee hit the streets today in fierce defiance. Every injustice will be met with resistance.”
Over the past few days the party has highlighted various instances claiming that Bengali speaking people were being targeted in BJP rulesd states.
The party claimed that innocent Bengali migrant workers were being targeted in Double-Engine states.The part alleged that six members of the Matua community from North 24-Parganas, including minors, were illegally detained and harassed by Maharashtra Police despite possessing valid ID documents.
The party also claimed that despite having valid documents and verified IDs, Bengali-speaking residents of Delhi’s Jai Hind Colony were harassed, humiliated, and branded as ‘illegal’. (ANI)