‘Insult of Bengali language’: CM Mamata leads rally in Jhargram; attacks Centre over NRC, voter list revision | India News
NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief ministerMamata Banerjee on Wednesday led a massive protest rally in Jhargram, denouncing the alleged attacks on Bengali-speaking migrants outside the state and accusing the BJP of orchestrating a campaign to harass Bengalis in the name of citizenship and voter list revision.“How can someone be branded as Bangladeshi if he or she speaks in Bengali?” Banerjee questioned while addressing the gathering. “This is nothing but a conspiracy to harass our people,” she added.She also warned that she would expose the BJP if attacks on the Bengali language and its people continue. “If you attack Bengali language and Bengal’s people, I will expose BJP before the world,” she said. “If you attack Bengali language and Bengal’s people, I will not stay silent,” she added.The rally, centered around the message that the Bengali language and identity “will never be silenced,” saw Banerjee walking nearly three kilometers through the tribal region. She was joined by senior Trinamool Congress leaders, cultural figures and local residents carrying placards that read “Banglar Apoman Sojjyo Hobe Na” (Insult to Bengal won’t be tolerated) and “Bangla Amar Ma” (Bengal, my mother). The rally witnessed widespread participation from migrant families, students and local leaders, as Banerjee positioned herself as the defender of Bengali pride, language and identity.The protest was held in response to allegations of harassment and discrimination against Bengali-speaking migrants in different parts of India.She also expressed strong objections to what she called a deliberate attempt to marginalize Bengalis. “What right does the Assam government have to send NRC notices to people of Bengal?” she questioned.Banerjee further alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list was being used as a tool to bring the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through the backdoor. “The SIR exercise is being undertaken to bring NRC through the backdoor. People are already dying by suicide out of fear,” she alleged.She cautioned officials against excluding genuine voters from the electoral rolls. “Not a single elector should be omitted from the voter list in the name of Special Intensive Revision,” she asserted. Taking a dig at the BJP, she said, “They are trying to make a BJP list, not a voter list.”Slamming the BJP’s demand for citizenship documents, Banerjee said, “Do BJP leaders themselves have their birth certificates? What right do they have to question the identity of others?”
