Mamata Banerjee Alleges Targeting of Bengali Speakers and Voter-List Deletions on Mother Language Day

Overview

• Speaking in Kolkata on International Mother Language Day, the West Bengal chief minister said Bengalis are being harassed in other states and branded as infiltrators or Bangladeshis for speaking Bangla.
• She linked recent deletions in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to an effort to disenfranchise Bengalis and vowed that her government would not allow anyone’s rights to be taken away.
• Mamata Banerjee accused central agencies and an anti‑Bengal group of trying to seize control of the state by force and urged people to unite against the BJP, calling the situation authoritarian.
• Referring to the February 12 killing of Sukhen Mahato, a migrant worker from Purulia in Pune, she called it a hate crime and demanded swift arrests and strict punishment.
• Invoking cultural dignity, she criticized the Sahitya Akademi for overlooking Bengali works and reiterated that Bengal respects many languages while rejecting attempts to undermine Bangla.