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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Did you ask Maldives president his religion before hugging': Mamata Banerjee's jibe at PM Modi
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday attacked the centre for allegedly depriving the state of funds even as she hit out over the recent announcement of India giving ₹4,850 crore Line of Credit to Maldives. Mamata Banerjee has recently slammed BJP states over 'linguistic terror' on Bengalis.(AFP File) Mamata Banerjee launched the 'Bhasha Andolan' (Language Movement) from Bolpur in Birbhum district, declaring that she would "give up her life, but not allow anyone to snatch her language", according to news agency PTI. Mamata Banerjee, taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asked, 'When you travel to Arab nations and hug the sheikhs, do you ask whether they are Hindus or Muslims?' She also hit out at the PM's recent visit to Maldives and said, 'Did you ask Maldives president his religion when you hugged him and donated 5,000 crore while depriving Bengal of its dues.' Also Read: Pahalgam attack mastermind Suleman Shah killed in Kashmir encounter: Sources Mamata said that she doesn't want a division on the basis of language and protested against the alleged attacks on Bengali migrants. She accused the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to "implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through the backdoor" in Bengal by targeting Bengali-speaking migrants. The Bengal CM accused the centre of waging a "linguistic terror" and vowed not to allow the construction of detention camps in Bengal. "We will stop this conspiracy to jeopardise our existence in the name of linguistic terror and attempt to implement NRC by the backdoor," Banerjee said, according to PTI. "I won't allow the implementation of NRC or the building of detention camps in Bengal," Mamata added.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Atrocities of double-engine govts': Mamata accuses BJP-ruled states of ‘linguistic terror' against Bengalis
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused BJP-ruled states of targeting Bengali-speaking workers from her state, alleging they are being harassed, detained, and even pushed into Bangladesh under the pretext of identity checks, which she called 'linguistic terror'. Mamata Banerjee slams BJP states over 'linguistic terror' on Bengalis.(AFP File) The TMC supremo, in a post on X, targeted the governments of Haryana and Rajasthan, accusing them of inflicting 'tortures and tortures (sic)' on Bengali-speaking citizens. She also questioned the motive behind what she called a deliberate campaign of persecution. 'Have been increasingly receiving reports of detentions and atrocities on our Bengali-speaking people from different districts of West Bengal in Gurgaon, Haryana. West Bengal police is receiving these reports from Haryana police in the name of requests for identity searches,' Banerjee wrote. She further claimed that her government is getting reports from states like Rajasthan about illegal 'pushbacks' of West Bengal citizens, even those with valid documents, into Bangladesh. 'There are tortures and tortures on hapless poor Bengali workers from West Bengal in these states. I am shocked to see these terrible atrocities of double-engine governments on Bengalis in India. What do you want to prove? This is atrocious and terrible. We are not going to tolerate this. Stop this linguistic terror,' she added. Banerjee's comments come at a time of escalating political friction between the TMC and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially with the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections on the horizon. TMC leaders have repeatedly accused the BJP of targeting Bengalis outside West Bengal and attempting to erase regional identities and languages under the banner of nationalism, reported PTI. Just days earlier, at the party's annual martyrs' day rally on July 21, Banerjee had called for a 'language movement' to resist what she termed the BJP's 'linguistic terrorism'. There was no immediate response from the Haryana or Rajasthan governments. However, BJP leaders in Bengal have previously dismissed such allegations as 'baseless' and 'fabricated for political gain'. Banerjee's latest remarks appear to underscore her intent to bring the issue of Bengali identity and dignity to the forefront of her campaign strategy ahead of 2026.
