Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Jul 29: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on national commissions and the BJP-led central government, accusing them of turning a blind eye to alleged atrocities against Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states.
Speaking at an administrative meeting in Illambazar, Birbhum district, Banerjee questioned the selective outrage of national bodies. “These commissions spring into action if even a lizard bites someone in Bengal. But when women are raped or burnt alive in BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Odisha, they remain conspicuously silent,” she remarked.
Banerjee alleged that Bengalis living outside the state are routinely harassed, denied basic utilities, and subjected to violence, yet national commission members rarely visit those regions. “When Bengali-speaking people face assault, disconnection of water or power, or worse — these commissions disappear. In those moments, they are not commissions, but omissions,” she said, adding that such treatment stems from jealousy towards Bengal’s talent.
Appealing directly to migrant workers from West Bengal living in other states, the Chief Minister urged them to return home. “If they come back, we will offer free ration, medical treatment, and job opportunities. Their children will be admitted to schools. There is no need to suffer humiliation in other states,” she assured.
Banerjee also accused the Union Home Ministry of being behind targeted harassment of Bengalis in other states. “I have heard that around ten detention camps have been created in Gurugram, Haryana. In Assam, lakhs were pushed into detention camps. Now there’s an attempt to sneak NRC into Bengal under the guise of the Election Commission’s special review,” she warned.
She further escalated her criticism of the BJP, invoking history to question the party’s nationalist credentials. “While Bengali revolutionaries were laying down their lives for India’s independence, many of today’s BJP leaders’ ideological ancestors were siding with the British,” she said. “And now, those who gave everything for the country are being targeted through a form of ‘language terror’.”
Banerjee’s remarks come amid heightened political tensions over national identity, citizenship measures, and the treatment of linguistic minorities, with the Chief Minister positioning herself as a fierce defender of Bengali identity and rights.