Why Did Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee Criticize the BJP Over a Delhi Police Letter?

Kolkata, Aug 3 (NationPress) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee sharply criticized the BJP following a letter from the Delhi Police that labeled Bengali as a "Bangladeshi language". Both leaders condemned this characterization as "anti-national" and "unconstitutional".

In a post on social media, the Chief Minister expressed her outrage, calling the move an insult to all Bengali speakers across India. She encouraged Bengalis nationwide to voice their strongest possible objections.

"Look how the Delhi Police, under the direct oversight of the Ministry of Home, Government of India, is mischaracterizing Bengali as a 'Bangladeshi' language!" Banerjee stated, sharing a copy of the controversial letter.

She added, "Bengali, our mother tongue, the language of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda, in which our National Anthem and National Song, the latter by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, are composed, is now being called a Bangladeshi language!"

Accusing the BJP government in Delhi of using language that undermines the Constitution, the Chief Minister remarked, "Scandalous, insulting, anti-national, unconstitutional! This is an affront to all Bengali-speaking individuals in India. Such language is unacceptable and demeaning to us all. We call for immediate and strong protests against the anti-Bengali actions of the Government of India that seek to humiliate Bengali speakers."

Abhishek Banerjee, also the party MP and the Chief Minister's nephew, criticized the BJP's "calculated attempt" to tarnish the image of Bengal and its people, stating that the letter represents a direct infringement of Article 343 and the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

He further demanded the "immediate suspension" of Investigating Officer Amit Dutt and a formal public apology from @DelhiPolice, @BJP4India, and the Home Ministry led by @AmitShah.

In a post on X, he remarked, "For months, Bengali speakers have faced targeting, harassment, and detention in BJP-ruled states. Now, in an alarming escalation, @DelhiPolice has officially termed Bangla a 'Bangladeshi language' in an official correspondence."

The Trinamool leader affirmed that Bengalis are not outsiders in their own country.

"This is not a simple clerical mistake; it is yet another calculated attempt by the BJP to defame Bengal, undermine our cultural identity, and equate West Bengal with Bangladesh for narrow political gain. There is no language termed 'Bangladeshi'. To label Bangla as a foreign language is not merely an affront; it’s an attack on our identity, culture, and sense of belonging. Bengalis are not outsiders in their homeland," Abhishek Banerjee concluded.

In defense of the Delhi Police's statement, BJP's West Bengal state president and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya suggested that there is a distinction in the accent and the style of Bengali spoken and written by an "Indian Bengali" versus a "Bangladeshi Bengali".

He stated, "Read a book by a 'Bangladeshi Bengali' and compare it with one by an 'Indian Bengali.' You'll notice the difference. No individual can be added to the voters' list just because they speak Bengali."