Amid a simmering row over the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking folks in BJP-ruled states, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused the BJP in Assam of threatening folks with “persecution” for upholding their mom tongue.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hit again, accusing the TMC supremo of “compromising Bengal’s future” by “encouraging unlawful encroachment by a specific group”.
Accusing BJP-led governments of branding Bengalis as unlawful Bangladeshis or Rohingya, Banerjee had not too long ago led a protest march in Kolkata within the backdrop of large-scale evictions in Assam, principally affecting Bengali-speaking folks. Sarma had mentioned the choice was aimed toward “defending demographic change”.
Banerjee mentioned on X Saturday, “The second most spoken language within the nation, Bangla, can also be the second most spoken language of Assam. To threaten residents, who need to coexist peacefully respecting all languages and religions, with persecution for upholding their very own mom tongue is discriminatory and unconstitutional.” “This divisive agenda of BJP in Assam has crossed all limits and other people of Assam will struggle again.”
Sarma launched a counterattack and in a publish on X accused the Bengal CM of indulging in appeasement politics at the price of nationwide integrity. He mentioned that the federal government shouldn’t be preventing “our personal folks” however as an alternative opposing “ongoing, unchecked Muslim infiltration from throughout the border, which has already prompted an alarming demographic shift.”
“In a number of districts, Hindus at the moment are on the verge of turning into a minority in their very own land. This isn’t a political narrative — it’s a actuality. Even the Supreme Courtroom of India has termed such infiltration as exterior aggression. And but, once we rise to defend our land, tradition, and identification, you select to politicise it. We don’t divide folks by language or faith. Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Hindi — all languages and communities have coexisted right here. However no civilisation can survive if it refuses to guard its borders and its cultural basis,” he mentioned.
“Whereas we’re appearing decisively to protect Assam’s identification, you, Didi, have compromised Bengal’s future — encouraging unlawful encroachment by a specific group, appeasing one spiritual group for vote banks, and remaining silent as border infiltration eats away at nationwide integrity — all simply to remain in energy.”