Kolkata: Bengal is set to witness another instance where Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee and party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will hit the streets for a purpose.
Both the top leaders will lead a procession organised by the Trinamool Congress on Wednesday to protest against the alleged harassment of migrant workers from Bengal in BJP-ruled states. The ruling TMC vows to continue its fight for the people of Bengal against this “state-sponsored abduction”. The rally is expected to begin from College Square at around 1 pm. It will end at Dorina Crossing.
Trinamool Congress has raised its voice against a continued harassment and targeting of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states. The party has announced that simultaneous demonstrations would also be held across various parts of Bengal on the same day. There has been a growing outrage over reports of alleged mistreatment of Bengali migrants in Odisha, Delhi and Maharashtra.
“If the Bengali language is insulted, if a Bengali is called Bangladeshi, it will not be tolerated at all. We will hit the streets under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership,” said senior TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya on last Sunday when she announced the procession.
Chief Minister Banerjee has, over the past few weeks, repeatedly denounced what she described as attempts to label Bengali-speaking citizens as outsiders or illegal immigrants. “Speaking in Bengali does not make someone a Bangladeshi,” she asserted, reiterating that Bengali is a constitutionally recognised Indian language and that every citizen has the right to speak their mother tongue.
“Bangla-Birodhi @BJP4India first tried to choke Bengal by freezing Central funds. When that failed, they shifted gears, resorting to the persecution of Bengali-speaking workers in BJP-ruled states.
Eight construction workers from Nadia, employed in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, were forcibly picked up by @vishnudsai’s @CG_Police. No information was shared with their families, the GoWB, or even @WBPolice. Their phones were seized. They were thrown behind bars,” TMC said on X.
It further stated: “This is STATE-SPONSORED ABDUCTION. Let BJP be warned: Respect existence or expect resistance. We will not let our people be criminalised, dehumanised, or silenced.”