TMC refutes BJP’s claim that 335 of 444 migrant workers had fake docus

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Samirul Islam on Friday criticised Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for referring to Bengali-speaking migrant labourers from West Bengal as ‘Rohingyas’.

The TMC also refuted the BJP’s claim that documents belonging to 335 out of 444 migrant workers from Bengal detained in Odisha were fake, accusing the party of spreading false information and targeting poor workers for political gain.

“This is why we call the BJP anti-Bengali. We have never viewed the atrocities against migrant workers through the lens of religion. But now, BJP’s @SuvenduWB has claimed that Bengali-speaking migrant workers from this state are Rohingya,” Islam said on his social media post.

He further pointed out: “Let me give an example to show this frustrated BJP leader that many of the workers facing such brutality also belong to the Hindu community. Sujan Sarkar, a Bengali Hindu migrant worker from Samsherganj, Murshidabad, was physically assaulted in BJP-ruled Odisha. This is not an isolated incident—it reflects a disturbing pattern of targeted harassment against Bengalis, both Hindus and Muslims, across several BJP-ruled states.”

Islam in his social media handle also posted bruised photographs of a person whom he claimed to be a migrant worker who had been subjected to torture.

“The continued vilification of Bengalis based on their language, culture, and regional identity is an affront to the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution and the spirit of unity in diversity. Bengali migrant workers, who tirelessly contribute to the economy, deserve respect and protection, not xenophobic abuse,” he added. “Now, will Suvendu Adhikari say that Sujan Sarkar is a Rohingya? He should understand that migrant workers are poor and have no religion. They go wherever they can to earn their bread and butter,” Islam said.

He also alleged that BJP leader Amit Malviya falsely claimed that documents of 335 out of 444 Bengali-speaking migrant workers were fake.

“If their documents were fake, why did the BJP-ruled Odisha government release most of the Bengali-speaking migrant workers from their custody after the Calcutta High Court’s order; If they were truly Bangladeshis, then why were they released?” asked Islam.