New Delhi Chronicle Staffer | July 25
NEW DELHI — BJP leader and veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty on Thursday responded strongly to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent comments alleging mistreatment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in various parts of the country.
Chakraborty dismissed the concerns as politically motivated and baseless, saying they were intended to incite fear and division. “This is misinformation,” he said, referencing his own hotel venture in Bengaluru. “I employed mostly Bengali-speaking workers there. Not a single one was Bangladeshi. If someone is from Bangladesh, they will naturally be identified as such — that’s a separate issue.”
He further accused Banerjee of using the migrant worker issue to score political points. “She tries to manufacture controversy where none exists,” Chakraborty said. “The Bengali language and identity are not under threat. No one has exclusive ownership over it. We will stand firm.”
Addressing Banerjee’s recent remarks urging protests against the Election Commission over alleged manipulation of voter rolls in West Bengal and Bihar, Chakraborty said such moves were unlikely to yield results. “She’s running out of options. But the Election Commission must take this seriously. Eliminating fake voters is essential to ensuring fair elections. Protests won’t change that,” he added.
