Whose Bangla is it anyway? Mamata leads rally in Jhargram over attacks on Bengalis

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on 6 August, Wednesday, condemned the alleged attacks on Bengali-speaking migrants and accused the BJP of orchestrating a campaign to harass Bengalis in the name of citizenship and voter list revision.

Leading a massive protest rally in tribal heartland Jhargram, the TMC chief said if needed, she will expose the BJP and the Centre over the alleged attacks on Bengali language and Bengal's people.

"They (BJP) are saying there is no language called ‘Bengali’. I will expose them before the world," Banerjee said, adding, "If you attack Bengali language and Bengal's people, I will not stay silent."

Taking a dig at the BJP over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Trinamool Congress chief said, "Not a single elector should be omitted from the voter list in the name of SIR. They are trying to make a BJP list, not a voter list."

Banerjee further alleged that the SIR exercise was part of a larger plan to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through the backdoor.

"The ploy behind SIR is to bring the NRC through the backdoor. People are already dying by suicide out of fear," she alleged.

"How can someone be branded a 'Bangladeshi' just because he or she speaks in Bengali?" the chief minister asked. "This is nothing but a conspiracy to harass our people."

Slamming the BJP's demand for documents to prove citizenship, Banerjee said, "Do BJP leaders themselves have their birth certificates? What right do they have to question the identity of others?"

The Jhargram rally saw widespread participation from migrant families, students and local leaders, as Banerjee positioned herself as the defender of Bengali pride, language and identity.