Kolkata, July 21 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s declaration of beginning weekend protest programmes against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states from this month, which she described as another “Bhasha Andolon” (Language Movement) has attracted jibes from all opposition parties in the state, including BJP, CPI-M, and Congress.

Historically, “Bhasha Andolan” was a political movement in what was then East Pakistan, advocating for the recognition of the Bengali language as an official language of the country, which ultimately led to the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation after erstwhile East Pakistan was liberated from Pakistan in 1971.

West Bengal Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari, said that this declaration from the Chief Minister was backed by her intention to back illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators.

He also demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) act against the Trinamool Congress for supporting Rohingyas and Bangladeshi infiltrators.

“Not a single Rohingya or Bangladeshi Muslim should be in the voters’ list. We cannot support their inclusion in the voters’ list. The Election Commission must cancel the registration of Trinamool Congress as a political party for supporting such people. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee needs the support of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi infiltrators to win elections,” BJP leader Adhikari said.

State BJP President and Rajya Sabha member, Samik Bhattacharya, said that more than protecting the interest of the original Bengali-speaking Muslims in West Bengal, the Chief Minister is more interested in protecting the Bengali-speaking Muslim infiltrators from Bangladesh.

“Bengali-speaking Indian Muslims in border areas of West Bengal are losing jobs to Bangladeshi Muslims, who have entered the country illegally. The true Bengali-speaking people are leaving West Bengal in search of jobs, and at times, they are being mistaken for Bangladeshi Muslims. Who is responsible for this? Illegal Rohingyas have been given a place to live in West Bengal. Fake job cards and voter cards are being issued to them. The Election Commission is taking action and deleting such fake voters. But Mamata Banerjee is supporting them for her vote bank politics,” Bhattacharya added.

BJP’s IT Cell Chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, issued a statement where he claimed that the speech of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday was reflection of her fear that, if the special intensive revision (SIR) by the Election Commission is implemented in West Bengal properly, and free and fair elections are held, the Trinamool Congress will be defeated in 2026 state polls.

“As usual, Mamata Banerjee is resorting to lies and fear mongering — talking about “detention camps” and imaginary conspiracies. But the truth is this: She knows her reign of terror is nearing its end. And it is the curse of Bengal’s people, especially its women, that will bring her down,” Malviya’s statement said.

Senior CPI-M leader and the party’s central committee member, Sujan Chakraborty, took a jibe at CM Mamata Banerjee for announcing a ‘Bhasa Andolan’ to fight against the BJP.

“By calling her fight against the harassment of Bengali-speaking people as “Bhasa Andolan” (the Language Movement), Mamata Banerjee has reduced the importance of the actual Bhasa Andolan. Not every fight can be branded as the language movement,” Chakraborty said.

Another CPI-M Central Committee member, Minakshi Mukherjee, said that Mamata Banerjee herself is responsible for the harassment of Bengali-speaking people in the country, as a large number of people left Bengal as migrant workers during her tenure as Chief Minister.

“Has the Trinamool Congress government done anything to protect the sanctity of the Bengali language and Bengali-speaking people? Migrant labourers from Bengal are being targeted in Assam and other states. Who is responsible for this situation? Why can’t her government provide them with jobs? She cannot make people forget her government’s failure to ensure a proper livelihood to Bengali-speaking people,” Mukherjee added.

State Congress Spokesperson, Soumya Aich Roy, said that Mamata Banerjee should first arrest the exodus of Bengali people from West Bengal due to lack of jobs and industries, before using Bengali sentiment to mislead the people.

“Mamata Banerjee is trying to tap into the Bengali sentiment by bringing reference to ‘Bhasa Andolan’. Instead of doing this, she must provide jobs to the people so that this migration stops,” he added.

–IANS

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