West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the BJP on Wednesday, daring the ruling party at the Centre to prove that Bengali-speaking migrant workers detained in BJP/NDA-ruled states are Rohingyas.
Leading a massive protest march through the heart of Kolkata, Banerjee accused the BJP of targeting Bengali migrants under the guise of identifying illegal immigrants. “I challenge you to prove that Bengali-speaking people are Rohingyas,” she said, standing firm against what she called “a campaign of harassment.”
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief was accompanied by party leaders including Abhishek Banerjee, as thousands of supporters joined the rally from College Square to Dharmatala’s Dorina Crossing. The demonstration brought parts of central Kolkata to a standstill, with over 1,500 police officers deployed to manage the crowd and traffic.
Banerjee claimed that 22 lakh migrant workers from Bengal work across the country and possess valid ID documents, yet are being targeted based on their language and ethnicity. She accused the BJP of manipulating voter rolls, referencing alleged voter list purges in Maharashtra, Delhi, and Bihar. “They want to do the same in Bengal — but we will fight them inch by inch,” she declared.
The protest comes just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to West Bengal and signals the TMC’s intent to escalate its campaign on regional and linguistic identity issues ahead of the 2026 state elections.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, accompanied by 50 MLAs, visited the Election Commission office demanding the removal of “Rohingya” names from Bengal’s voters’ list, underscoring the charged political atmosphere.
The TMC also cited recent incidents — including the detention of Bengali workers in Odisha, eviction drives in Delhi, and a foreigner tribunal notice issued to a farmer in Assam — as signs of rising linguistic and ethnic discrimination.
As West Bengal gears up for a crucial electoral showdown, Wednesday’s protest and Mamata Banerjee’s fiery rhetoric make it clear that the battle lines are being drawn over identity, belonging, and political control.
