NDC DESK
KOLKATA, July 16, 2025 – The Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, reignited a potent narrative of Bengali identity today, accusing BJP‑ruled states of targeting Bengali‑speaking migrant workers under the pretext of national security.
The controversy began last month when at least seven Bengali speakers were deported from Maharashtra without proper verification—a move later reversed after legal and diplomatic intervention . More recently, authorities in Odisha detained 444 Bengali-speaking workers, releasing dozens only after identity checks . In Delhi’s Jai Hind Colony—a Bengali-majority neighbourhood—water and power supplies were cut, allegedly amid eviction notices, intensifying the ordeal.
Today, TMC leaders led a major protest march from College Square to Dorina Crossing in central Kolkata . Despite intermittent rain, the rally drew thousands, including national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, with chants of “BJP, χι χι” (“Shame on you, BJP”) echoing along the route.
Mamata Banerjee fiercely denounced what she termed the “institutional profiling” of Bengalis, challenging the Centre to detain her if she continues speaking Bangla publicly: “I will speak more in Bangla—put me in a detention camp if you dare” . She asked pointedly: “Is West Bengal not part of India?”.
TMC accuses BJP governments in Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam, Gujarat, and even Haryana of detaining or harassing Bengali-speaking migrants—many possessing valid Aadhaar or voter IDs—as though their poverty and language mark them as criminals . The party estimates there are around 22.5 lakh such migrant workers across India.
TMC MP Samirul Islam, heading the state’s Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board, warned that stripping migrants of basic services and dignity is akin to allowing them to work under “sub‑human conditions” . In Pune, TMC MPs claimed that Matua community workers—including infants—were wrongly detained as “Bangladeshis” despite valid documentation.
Sociologists and TMC insiders characterise these events as part of a broader anti-Bengali campaign aimed at imposing cultural conformity—drawing parallels with earlier efforts to introduce Nagaland-style “outsider narratives” . They argue that the BJP is attempting to shift focus onto “outsiders” while diverting attention from jobs and welfare issues.
The TMC-controlled Calcutta High Court has taken suo motu notice of petitions on migrant detentions, sending verification directives to BJP-governed states . Meanwhile, the BJP defends its actions, asserting that hundreds of detained migrants were found with “fake or unverifiable documents”—and accuses the TMC of playing the sympathy card to shield illegal immigrants.
With the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections looming, the TMC has once again harnessed Bengali asmita (identity) as a rallying beacon—a strategy that played a decisive role in its 2021 “Bangla nijer meyekei chay” campaign . Whether this wave of cultural pride will overshadow the BJP’s Hindutva narrative remains a key question in the coming months.
