'Can there be Bharat without Bangla?': Mamata warns against insulting Bengali language
Banerjee pointed to Bengali litterateurs Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote the national anthem, and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who penned the national song of India. "Nobody should try to play with our language or insult it," she said, asking, "Can there be Bharat without Bangla?"
The TMC supremo's remark comes amid her strong criticism of the BJP over alleged attacks on Bengali-speaking migrant workers in various BJP-ruled states, as well as a recent Delhi Police order referring to the Bengali language as the "Bangladeshi national language."
Pointing to the teachings of Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Banerjee said on Tuesday that he taught all to live in harmony.
"I believe in Ramakrishna Paramahansa's teaching of harmony of all religions," she said, after laying the foundation stone of a guest house of Ramakrishna Math and Mission at Kamarpukur in Hooghly district.
"There is no division among us, we have learnt from Ramakrishna Paramahansa to live together with everyone," she said.
Stating that Swami Vivekananda had taught that 'unity is strength', Banerjee said that his mother tongue was Bengali language, just as it was of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose or Raja Rammohan Roy. "Dharma is to treat other religions with love and respect," she said.
Urging all to read Ramakrishna Paramahansa's 'Kathamrita', Banerjee said that people call water by different names, but it is the same. "Likewise, mother is called by different names, but she is the same," she said, before embarking on a visit to flood-hit Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur district.
Banerjee also declared the formation of Jairambati-Kamarpukur Development Board, with Swami Lokottarananda, the secretary of the Ramakrishna Math, Kamarpukur, as its chairman.
On Sunday, the TMC supremo lashed out at the Delhi Police for referring to the Bengali language as "Bangladeshi national language" in a purported letter, alleging that it was "insulting, anti-national and unconstitutional."
"See now how Delhi Police under the direct control of the Ministry of Home, Government of India, is describing Bengali as "Bangladeshi" language!" Banerjee had posted on her Facebook account, sharing a copy of the letter.
The TMC supremo described the Centre as anti-Bengali and urged all to stage protests against such "anti-Constitutional language to insult and humiliate Bengali-speaking people of India."
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