Mamata: Bengali workers targeted in BJP states

Kolkata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that Bengali-speaking migrant workers are being unfairly targeted and labeled as Bangladeshis in several BJP-ruled states. She claimed that around 300-400 Bengali workers with valid documents were reportedly detained in a building in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi area, which she said is unacceptable.

Speaking to reporters at the Assembly, Banerjee questioned whether speaking Bengali—the language of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda—had become a crime. She said she would inform Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the issue, believing he might be unaware.

Banerjee added that similar incidents had also occurred earlier in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. She stated that the West Bengal chief secretary is already contacting Rajasthan authorities for clarification.

Referring to the citizenship cut-off, she said, Anyone who came before 1971 is an Indian citizen. Banerjee also condemned the exclusion of Bengali as an optional subject in Delhi University, calling it regrettable.

The Chief Minister highlighted that Bengal employs about 1.5 crore migrant workers from other states and has never discriminated against anyone. She asked, What if we mistreat migrants here for speaking their native language? Is speaking Bengali a sin in BJP-ruled states?

She further accused the Centre of ignoring repeated attacks on Dalits, minorities, and women in BJP states, while rushing to send commissions to Bengal for isolated incidents.