West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the BJP of targeting Bengali-speaking citizens in states ruled by the BJP, labelling even valid document holders as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
The West Bengal Chief Minister said, “You must be ashamed that you are labelling bona fide Indian citizens as Bangladeshis just because of the language they speak,” and added, “One should feel proud to speak in Bengali, as well as Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi.”
“If you ask me, I can speak in all these languages,” Banerjee said.
“On one hand, you are branding Indians as Bangladeshis for their spoken word, and on the other, you are depriving these people, who hold voter ID, PAN, and Aadhaar cards, of the right to earn their livelihood in your states,” she added.
She further questioned how, on one hand, the BJP was “branding Indians as Bangladeshis for their spoken word,” and on the other, was depriving people with “voter ID, PAN, and Aadhaar cards” of their right to earn a livelihood in BJP-ruled states.
The Chief Minister continued her speech undeterred, even as her remarks triggered an uproar from BJP legislators, who stood up in protest and shouted slogans.
Accusing the Union government of withholding funds owed to the state, the Chief Minister said that “despite the BJP’s step-motherly treatment, West Bengal has built 69,000 km of roads under the Pathashree scheme and launched the Awas Yojana with an investment of ₹11,000 crore.”
Highlighting that “Bengal has topped road and rural housing project rankings five times in a row,” the CM further claimed that even amid a financial crunch, people in the state were receiving an average of 50 days of employment, and her government had generated 1.5 crore mandays through various schemes.
“While on one hand you deprive the poor people of Bengal, on the other, the procession of deaths in various mishaps continues in your states,” she said.
Banerjee asserted that her government was committed to protecting the interests of Scheduled Castes (26 per cent), Scheduled Tribes (6 per cent), backward castes, and Muslims (30 per cent), in accordance with Supreme Court and High Court directives on social welfare.
Meanwhile, BJP MLAs staged a walkout after Speaker Biman Banerjee refused to admit an adjournment motion on the “crisis in the education sector” linked to the SSC scam, citing that the matter is sub judice.
Amid the uproar, the Speaker suspended BJP MLA Manoj Oraon for the day for breach of discipline and cautioned BJP chief whip Shankar Ghosh over his conduct.
Marshals were called in to escort Manoj Oraon out of the Assembly chamber, prompting an immediate walkout by all BJP members.
In a symbolic protest, all 40 BJP MLAs exited the House carrying potted tulsi plants.
Speaking to reporters outside the House, Oraon accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of attempting to silence Opposition voices to conceal large-scale corruption in teacher recruitment.
“The Mamata Banerjee government is afraid to distinguish between qualified and unqualified teachers because TMC leaders have accepted huge bribes from unqualified teachers’ sides,” Oraon alleged.
As the Opposition walked out, Banerjee remarked, “They only want to use bad words and hurl baseless accusations. Will they now decide what one should wear, eat, or even which footwear to use? Will they impose diktats?”
Responding to BJP slogans branding her government as corrupt, she said, “I don’t accept the ₹1.5 lakh pension allotted to me as a former MP. Will they teach me ethics and honesty?”
She further added, “Mark my words, BJP will be reduced to zero in the next Assembly elections. People have rejected your politics.”
Mamata Banerjee also alluded to the recent row over the alleged attack on a Sikh police officer, stating, “There is a half-central minister who appears to be in love with chappals (slippers). Why don’t they open chappal shops instead?”
Her remarks came after four West Bengal men, mistakenly pushed into Bangladesh earlier on Monday despite submitting proof of citizenship, were brought back home when West Bengal police produced their documents.
Over the past month, Indian authorities have been pursuing a policy of pushing individuals claimed to be undocumented migrants into Bangladesh, with more than 2,000 people pushed back since the launch of “Operation Sindoor.”
