West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government, accusing it of orchestrating a campaign of harassment against Bengali-speaking migrants across BJP-ruled states.
Speaking at a public rally in rain-soaked Kolkata, Banerjee issued a defiant warning to the Centre, saying, “I have decided to speak more in Bangla from now on, hold me in detention camps if you can.”
Addressing thousands at a protest march organised by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Banerjee alleged that the Centre had sent discreet instructions to BJP-governed states to detain Bengali speakers under suspicion of being illegal immigrants.
Mamata accuses BJP-ruled states of harassing Bengalis
“I will challenge the central government notices which were surreptitiously sent to BJP-ruled states to harass Bengali-speaking people and detain them at the slightest suspicion,” Banerjee said, as reported by the Times of India.
She further accused the BJP of manipulating constitutional institutions to achieve electoral ends. “BJP won in Maharashtra by removing names from electoral rolls, it is doing same in Bihar now,” she claimed, warning that similar attempts in West Bengal would be met with stiff resistance. “BJP has plans to remove names from Bengal’s electoral rolls, we will fight them inch by inch,” she said.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also took aim at the alleged narrative linking Bengali migrants to illegal immigration, challenging the BJP to substantiate its claims. “I challenge you to prove that Bengali-speaking migrants are Rohingya Muslims,” she said.
Citing official figures, Banerjee noted that over 22 lakh migrant workers from West Bengal are currently employed across various parts of India, and that they hold valid identity documentation.
"Is West Bengal not part of India?”
“What right does the BJP have in harassing Bengalis like this, even arresting them and forcefully pushing them back to Bangladesh? Is West Bengal not part of India?” she asked.
Banerjee warned that her party would not tolerate what she called “persecution politics.” “Extreme situations call for extreme counter measures. We will not fight you physically. But if the BJP doesn’t put an end to its persecution policies immediately, then the Trinamool Congress knows how to make them stop,” she said.
Issuing a political threat, she added: “If BJP sends Bengali-speaking people to detention camps, Bengal will politically detain it in polls.”
Wednesday’s protest was attended by senior TMC leaders including party MP Abhishek Banerjee and several ministers. The rally was aimed at condemning the alleged mistreatment of Bengali migrants, which the party described as part of a broader cultural attack.
In an official statement, the Trinamool Congress said: “BJP's assault on Bengali identity is no longer covert, it's brutal, deliberate, and fuelled by hate.”
(With inputs from ToI)
Speaking at a public rally in rain-soaked Kolkata, Banerjee issued a defiant warning to the Centre, saying, “I have decided to speak more in Bangla from now on, hold me in detention camps if you can.”
Addressing thousands at a protest march organised by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Banerjee alleged that the Centre had sent discreet instructions to BJP-governed states to detain Bengali speakers under suspicion of being illegal immigrants.
Mamata accuses BJP-ruled states of harassing Bengalis
“I will challenge the central government notices which were surreptitiously sent to BJP-ruled states to harass Bengali-speaking people and detain them at the slightest suspicion,” Banerjee said, as reported by the Times of India.
She further accused the BJP of manipulating constitutional institutions to achieve electoral ends. “BJP won in Maharashtra by removing names from electoral rolls, it is doing same in Bihar now,” she claimed, warning that similar attempts in West Bengal would be met with stiff resistance. “BJP has plans to remove names from Bengal’s electoral rolls, we will fight them inch by inch,” she said.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also took aim at the alleged narrative linking Bengali migrants to illegal immigration, challenging the BJP to substantiate its claims. “I challenge you to prove that Bengali-speaking migrants are Rohingya Muslims,” she said.
Citing official figures, Banerjee noted that over 22 lakh migrant workers from West Bengal are currently employed across various parts of India, and that they hold valid identity documentation.
"Is West Bengal not part of India?”
“What right does the BJP have in harassing Bengalis like this, even arresting them and forcefully pushing them back to Bangladesh? Is West Bengal not part of India?” she asked.
Banerjee warned that her party would not tolerate what she called “persecution politics.” “Extreme situations call for extreme counter measures. We will not fight you physically. But if the BJP doesn’t put an end to its persecution policies immediately, then the Trinamool Congress knows how to make them stop,” she said.
Issuing a political threat, she added: “If BJP sends Bengali-speaking people to detention camps, Bengal will politically detain it in polls.”
Wednesday’s protest was attended by senior TMC leaders including party MP Abhishek Banerjee and several ministers. The rally was aimed at condemning the alleged mistreatment of Bengali migrants, which the party described as part of a broader cultural attack.
In an official statement, the Trinamool Congress said: “BJP's assault on Bengali identity is no longer covert, it's brutal, deliberate, and fuelled by hate.”
(With inputs from ToI)
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