NEW DELHI : A heated exchange erupted in the Lok Sabha on Friday between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP members after TMC MP Shatabdi Roy raised concerns over the deportation of Bangla-speaking individuals to Bangladesh. Roy, speaking in Bangla during Zero Hour, argued that language should not be a criterion for authorities when making deportation decisions.
Roy’s remarks came in the wake of reports suggesting that a person had been deported from Odisha to Bangladesh. She expressed her concerns over the matter, stating that such actions were unjust and should not be based on linguistic identity.
“The language spoken by a person should not be the basis for deportation,” Roy asserted during her speech. However, as the debate grew more intense, Krishna Prasad Tennati, who was chairing the session, instructed Roy to focus on placing her demand. When her allotted speaking time ended, her microphone was turned off, prompting further tensions in the House.
The issue quickly escalated into a war of words, with BJP members countering the claim, leading to disruptions in the proceedings. This debate comes amid ongoing concerns about citizenship and immigration laws, which have been a point of contention in recent months.
The incident highlighted the growing divisions within Parliament over the handling of immigration-related issues and the broader question of how language, ethnicity, and identity factor into the nation’s political discourse.