Bengali celebrities rise in protest against ‘language terrorism’
KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday launched a blistering attack on the BJP after Amit Malviya, the national convenor of the party’s IT cell, controversially claimed that “there is no language called Bengali.” This came just a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the BJP-led Central government, following an incident where Delhi Police, in an official communication, referred to Bengali as a “Bangladeshi” language.
Standing in solidarity, Tollywood superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee lent his voice to the movement. “The Bengali language was, is, and will remain. I stand with the Chief Minister. We must continue this fight,” he said, underscoring his nearly four-decade journey in Bengali cinema and his deep-rooted bond with the language.
Singer Rupam Islam also lashed out on social media. “What is this? Isn’t BANGLA one of the 22 official languages of India? Why must it be mentioned as BANGLADESHI LANGUAGE? Height of Ignorance and stupidity,” the Bengal rockstar posted. Veteran musician Kabir Suman joined the chorus, stating in a Facebook post that making Bengali compulsory in all schools of West Bengal should be considered.
National Award-winning director Srijit Mukherji reminded everyone that Bengali is officially one of the 22 scheduled languages recognized by the Indian Constitution. “That’s not Bangladeshi language, morons, that’s Bangla or Bengali, the same language in which your national anthem was originally written and one of the 22 official languages of India,” he posted.
This comes amid rising reports of migrant Bengali workers facing violence, identity theft, wage denial and assault in several states. Many have alleged that simply speaking Bengali is enough to be suspected of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
As the cultural and political backlash grows, the issue has stirred up strong sentiments not only on the streets of Bengal but also in the hearts of those whose identity and pride are intertwined with their mother tongue.
