Kolkata:
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee delivered a furious speech at the Shaheed Diwas rally on Monday in Kolkata's Esplanade East, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stifling Bengali culture and language while undermining Indian citizens' democratic rights.
Banerjee used the occasion to express concern about the detention of migrants who speak Bengali in a number of states that are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and to remember the 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed by police shooting during a protest in 1993. "Bangla bhashar upor sontras cholchhe" (the Bengali language has been terrorised) In states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, over 1,000 Bengali-speaking individuals have been placed under arrest. "This is a purposeful conspiracy," she declared.
Condemning the increasing surveillance over personal choices, Banerjee added, “They are now dictating what we eat – who can eat eggs, who can eat chicken. This is an attack on our basic freedoms. Bengal will not tolerate this.”
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson also referred to controversial comments made by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had allegedly linked speaking Bengali with being Bangladeshi. “What action has the BJP taken against such remarks? Why are they angry if we speak Bengali? Is it because they were defeated in Bengal?” she asked.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee echoed similar sentiments, branding the BJP as “anti-Bengali”. “If needed, we will speak in Bengali in Parliament. We are Bengalis, and we will never bow down,” he asserted.
Highlighting the party’s resolve, Mamata Banerjee announced weekly protests starting 27 July. “Every Saturday and Sunday, we will protest the oppression of the Bengali language. If people are arrested for speaking in Bengali, I will take the fight to Delhi,” she warned. She also announced the creation of a “Durga Aangan” in Bengal, similar to Jagannath Dham in Digha, as a symbol of cultural pride.
During the rally, Banerjee introduced the families of two West Bengal residents killed in the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year—Jhantu Ali Sheikh and Bitan Adhikari—and handed each family ₹1 lakh as support from the party.
The Chief Minister also criticised attempts to delete names from electoral rolls in Bengal, referencing similar incidents in Bihar. “I respect the Election Commission, but if 40 lakh people are removed from Bengal’s rolls, we will resist legally and politically.”
Reiterating her commitment, she concluded, “Remember Nandigram, remember Singur. I do not leave battles midway. The BJP must be removed from the Centre.”
Kolkata Police implemented stringent traffic restrictions in the city, particularly in the vicinity of Dharmatala, from 4 am to 9 pm in order to control the large crowd.Processions were only allowed before 8 am and after 11 am.
As it prepares for the next elections, the rally reaffirmed TMC's message of cultural identity, regional pride, and opposition to central political overreach.
