Mamata slams BJP: “Bengalis branded as Bangladeshis for speaking their language in other states”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned the BJP for targeting Bengali-speaking migrant workers, accusing central and BJP-ruled state authorities of wrongly labelling them as illegal Bangladeshis. 

Speaking in the state assembly on Tuesday, she remarked that simply for speaking Bengali, people were being identified as Bangladeshis and sent across the border.

Banerjee shared that she had intervened in several cases, including those in Rajasthan, where 300–400 Bengali migrants were branded as Bangladeshis. She successfully arranged their return to India and asserted that these individuals are bona fide residents of West Bengal, not foreign nationals.

Highlighting the ongoing targeting, she said, “It is happening in all BJP‑ruled states every day… when they speak in Bengali among themselves, they are labelled as Bangladeshis and sent to Bangladesh”

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She posed a rhetorical question comparing it to Tamils being labelled and sent to Sri Lanka or Nepalis to Nepal, emphasising the absurdity of language-based branding.

Banerjee argued that migrant workers, who leave Bengal due to their skills, are vital contributors to other states. She criticised authorities for depriving them of livelihoods despite holding valid Aadhaar, PAN, and voter IDs.

In a broader critique, Banerjee accused the central government of weaponising language politics and intentionally withholding funds from Bengal, alleging that such actions undermine the state’s secular vision and economic progress.

Her remarks come amid rising communal and linguistic tensions in BJP-ruled regions like Delhi, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, where reports have emerged of migrant workers detained and forced across borders.