West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly criticized the BJP-led Assam government for what she calls a "divisive agenda." She accused the ruling party of mistreating Bengali-speaking citizens simply for embracing their language and identity.
In a statement posted on X, Mamata wrote: “The second most spoken language in the country, Bangla, is also the second most spoken language of Assam. To threaten citizens who want to coexist peacefully, respecting all languages and religions, with persecution for upholding their own mother tongue is discriminatory and unconstitutional.”
She declared that this divisive approach had "crossed all limits" and warned that “people of Assam will fight back.”
Showing support for those defending their cultural roots, Mamata added: “I stand with every fearless citizen who is fighting for the dignity of their language and identity, and their democratic rights.”
Earlier, workers from the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) staged a protest in Siliguri against the National Register of Citizens (NRC). They denounced the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants across BJP-ruled states. The protesters claimed these individuals were wrongly labelled as “Bangladeshis” under the pretext of tracing illegal immigrants.
INTTUC leader Nirjal Dey voiced outrage at the treatment of Bengali migrants. “Bengalis have made the biggest sacrifices for the country. Today, this is a question of the existence of Bengalis.”
He pointed out that in Odisha, 400 Bengali-speaking people were reportedly sent to detention camps. “Their only crime is that they speak Bengali; they are being branded as foreigners. This is the biggest issue... Arrest Rohingyas, but why will you arrest Bengali-speaking Indians? That is our question,” Dey said.
On July 16, Mamata Banerjee again targeted the BJP. She accused the party of discriminating against citizens based on language and political beliefs. Referring to incidents in Assam and Maharashtra, she said that Bengali-speaking people were being harassed and pushed out unjustly.
