Martyrs Day Rally: BJP unleashing ‘linguistic terrorism' on Bengalis, Mamata Banerjee says
If linguistic profiling doesn't stop, the resistance movement will reach Delhi, she asserted.
Addressing the TMC Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata, Banerjee gave a clarion call to defeat the saffron party in the 2026 polls and eventually oust the BJP from power at the Centre.
"There will be a language movement against the BJP's terrorism on the Bengali language... From July 27, the language movement will start in West Bengal in protest against attacks on Bengalis," Banerjee thundered before a massive turnout at the rally venue in central Kolkata.
"We have to win more seats in the 2026 assembly polls, and then march to Delhi to defeat the BJP," she asserted.
Banerjee's fierce speech touched upon a wide range of issues from NRC notices in West Bengal to the "targeting" of Bengalis in BJP-ruled states, including allegedly putting them in detention camps and attempts to remove their names from electoral rolls.
"In 2019, they vandalised the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Now, they have issued notifications to delete the names of Bengalis from the voter list. In BJP-ruled states, Bengalis are being harassed and put in detention camps," she alleged.
Attacking Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, she said, "He cannot handle his own state but is meddling in the affairs of West Bengal. I urge Sushmita Dev to organise a massive protest in Assam. We will all join." Banerjee said that West Bengal hosts around 1.5 crore migrants from other states, but they have never faced harassment.
"We welcome people from all over India, but look at what the BJP is doing to Bengalis. Who gave the Assam government the right to send NRC notices to residents of Bengal?" she said.
Banerjee also launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission, accusing it of working at the BJP's behest.
"The BJP and the Election Commission are conspiring against West Bengal. They want to do in West Bengal what they did in Bihar through EC's SIR. If they try the same here, we will gherao them. We will never allow it," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Stop unlawful deportation of Bengali Muslims, Human Rights Watch tells govt.
Criticising India's deportation of 'ethnic Bengali migrants' to Bangladesh, the Human Rights Watch on Thursday (July 24, 2025) said the exercise was being done 'without following due process'. Such acts done to 'garner political support' reflect the 'broader discriminatory policies against Muslims', it said in a statement. Citing various news reports of Bengali migrants being picked up from 'BJP-run States' such as Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said: 'India's ruling party BJP is fuelling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims from the country, including Indian citizens.' The statement said the government should stop unlawfully deporting people without due process, and instead ensure everyone's access to procedural safeguards against arbitrary detention and expulsion. The body further said that it had interviewed 18 people in June, including affected individuals who returned to India after being expelled to Bangladesh, their family members, and relatives of those who were detained and are still missing. Subsequently, the body alleged that it had written to the Ministry of Home Affairs with its findings but did not receive any response. '1,500 Muslims sent out' 'The Indian government has provided no official data on the number of people expelled, but Border Guard Bangladesh has reported that India expelled more than 1,500 Muslim men, women and children to Bangladesh between May 7 and June 15, including about 100 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar,' the statement read. It further noted that the authorities of 'BJP-run States' of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, and Rajasthan have 'rounded up Muslims, mostly impoverished migrant workers', and turned them over to Indian border guards. In some cases, the border guards allegedly 'threatened and beat the detainees to force them to cross into Bangladesh' without adequately verifying their citizenship claims, the statement said. The body further said in its statement that India's detention and expulsion of anyone without due process violates fundamental human rights. 'India is obligated under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to ensure the protection of everyone's rights and to prevent deprivation of citizenship on the basis of race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin,' it read. Citing examples of Bengali Muslims from various States being 'harassed' and Rohingyas being 'deported', the body said the Indian government is undercutting the country's long history of providing refuge to the persecuted as it 'tries to generate political support'. 'The Indian government is putting thousands of vulnerable people at risk in apparent pursuit of unauthorised immigrants, but their actions reflect broader discriminatory policies against Muslims,' Ms. Pearson further said.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Congress councillors protest, seek removal of acting mayor
Jaipur: Congress councillors staged a protest at Jaipur Municipal Corporation Heritage (JMC-H) Thursday demanding the removal of acting mayor Kusum Yadav and health deputy commissioner Devanand Sharma over an alleged land scam involving illegal lease allotments on govt land in Nehru Nagar Panipech. The councillors alleged that repeated appointments of acting mayors undermine democratic values and demanded immediate elections for the mayoral post. They criticised the BJP-led state govt for extending Yadav's tenure instead of taking strict action against her, despite recent developments in the case. Congress councillor Dashrath Singh Shekhawat said that lease deeds worth over Rs 100 crore were allegedly issued fraudulently. "Four officials were already suspended, including Kusum Yadav's OSD, Hansa Meena. This clearly indicates the mayor's involvement, yet the govt failed to act," he said. Shekhawat said this is the third time the govt appointed an acting mayor, even though the Congress holds a majority in JMC-H. "We demand that elections be held immediately so that a democratically elected representative can lead the civic body," he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top 15 Most Beautiful Women in the World Undo Councillor Arvind Amethi accused BJP-backed officials of institutionalised corruption, claiming that officers are extorting money while political leaders protect them. "Today's peaceful rally was a warning. If our demands are not met, the Congress will launch a larger agitation in the coming days," he said. The councillors warned the govt that any further delay would lead to intensified protests for which the ruling party would be solely responsible.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
T trying to break 50% quota cap, BJP a hindrance: Rahul
Hyderabad: Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday called on all Congress MPs to inform citizens about Telangana's caste survey and how the BJP was trying to "stall the state's progress". He said the Telangana govt was attempting to break free of the 50% cap on reservation, both in local bodies and in govt jobs and educational institutions. "Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy's job is to use the data to transform the lives of the people of Telangana, and our job is to raise the issue in Parliament and help him push the idea of breaking the 50% reservation cap barrier," Rahul said while speaking during Revanth's presentation on the socio-economic survey at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday. The PowerPoint presentation was attended by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Priyanka Gandhi, and many other top leaders of the Congress. Rahul said the Congress govt in Telangana had sent a note on the amendment to Parliament, both to the Govt of India and to the President of India. But, he alleged, the Centre was reluctant to take up the issue as if it would destroy BJP's brand of politics. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad He also remarked that the national census and caste census being taken up by the Centre would not be a fair exercise as it would reveal the real situation of OBCs and Adivasis. The Congress leader also said his party had been correctly raising Dalit and Adivasi issues nationally for more than a decade. He felt many of his own leaders may not agree with him, but more needed to be done on voicing concerns of the OBCs. Rahul also praised Revanth for completing the caste survey in Telangana. "When I started to push the idea of a caste census, I thought it would be difficult for Revanth as CM, as his community (Reddy) might not appreciate it. I was observing carefully. Today, I told the expert committee that Revanth Reddy ji and other leaders exceeded my expectations. They not only did the caste census, but did it exceptionally well," Rahul Gandhi said. He said they not only completed the survey, but also executed it in the right spirit, marking a milestone in social justice in the country. "The Telangana govt showed the country how the national caste census should be done. The census should not be conducted within closed rooms. Every section of society was taken into consideration, and every household was covered," the Congress leader said. The Telangana govt has 21st century data which is powerful enough to target the needy in executing education and health policies. No other state in the country has that data, and for obvious reasons, the BJP may not like it, he said.
