Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Bandopadhyay on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant labourers in BJP-ruled states and their alleged attempts to “push back”.
Bandopadhyay on social media attacked Modi saying that the latter should return to the “divine realms” he claimed to have come from. Taking to X, he said: “And if Prime Minister @narendramodi himself claims he is not a biological being, then by his logic, he must be a spiritual entity. In that case, I say it boldly and clearly: if he is beyond biology, then he does not belong to this nation as a citizen—he should return to the divine realm he claims to come from.”
Incidentally, Modi last year from a rally had stated that after his mother had passed away, he started believing that he was sent by God with a special mission. “When my mother was alive, I used to believe that I was born biologically. After she passed away, upon reflecting on all my experiences, I was convinced that God had sent me. This energy could not be from my biological body, but was bestowed upon me by God,” Modi had stated.
Bandopadhyay also stated that what the BJP was trying to do under the guise of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was a matter of concern. “What the @BJP4India is doing under the guise of the Special intensive of revision under representation of people’s Act is deeply concerning.
Many Bengali migrant workers live and work outside the state—does that make them any less Bengali? Whether I choose to be part of the electoral roll or not is entirely my democratic right. If I decide not to vote or contest elections, does that give the state the authority to question my citizenship?” he asked.
“I primarily reside in Delhi. So if a door-to-door survey happens in my absence, does that mean I cease to be a citizen of India?” Bandopadhyay further asked.
Trinamool Congress’ MP Samirul Islam claimed that the Centre does not maintain a timely or reliable database of migrant workers. They don’t know how many migrant workers have died, nor do they have any details about them. “I sought data from the last five years and we all know about the plight of migrant workers who were forced to walk long distances during the COVID-19-induced lockdown. There was no data available—or perhaps the BJP government is deliberately trying to hide its inefficiencies in protecting the rights of these migrants,” Islam stated. He further pointed out: “Now, hundreds of Bengali-speaking migrant workers working in different states have been unlawfully detained and harassed by BJP-ruled state governments such as Odisha, Maharashtra and Delhi. Many of them have even been deported to Bangladesh.
These BJP-ruled states have not been providing any data to the Bengal government.”