Mamata Banerjee Repeats Allegations Of Harassment Against Bengali Speakers
'Those who are trying to discriminate against Bengalis do have any idea of the language that icons like Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Kavi Nazrul Islam and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose spoke?
Those who came as refugees to our country are now considered as citizens of our country. If there are illegal infiltrators, the Union government can take action against them, and I have nothing to say on that.
But there should be unnecessary harassment of people just because they speak in Bengali' the Chief Minister said while addressing a function to celebrate the 'Kanyashree Day'.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that she had received news that one person was not allowed to rent a room at a hotel in Noida just because he was speaking in Bengali.
"There is a necessity to learn the English language. But that does not mean that Bengali will be a forgotten language," the Chief Minister said.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that currently over 93 lakh young women in West Bengal have benefited from the state government's Kanyashree scheme.
Our target is to ensure the figure crosses 1 crore soon," the Chief Minister said. "I always think that a society where women are not well off can never be well off.
Empowerment of women is necessary for the development of society. It is my pride that today there are more than 93 lakh 'Kanyashree women' in our state.
Seventeen and a half thousand crore taka has been handed over to them under this project. We don't just talk about women's empowerment. We do it," she said.
'Kanyashree Prakalpa' is a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at checking child marriage and retaining girls in schools and other educational institutions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
8 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Crossing a line: on drive against undocumented immigrants
Police in several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled States are trying to identify undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants by their language: Bengali. This approach has led to some comical errors, such as the Delhi police listing 'Bangladeshi' as a language — a massive leap in linguistics. However, in most cases, this has become a tragic and farcical exercise. Several documented instances have shown Indian citizens being pushed across the border into Bangladesh. This has caused significant hardship for the families involved and embarrassment to the government. Some individuals have been repatriated to their families in West Bengal after intervention by the State government or courts. This 'pushback' of suspected Bangladeshis is a part of a larger effort to bypass the due process of law, which is often lengthy and rigorous. The rounding up of Bengali speakers has sparked a debate in West Bengal, where the ruling party, the Trinamool Congress, has called it an 'attack on Bengali identity' and launched a language movement. The targeting of Bengali migrants has immediate consequences for their livelihoods. Fearing detention and forced relocation to Bangladesh — a country to which they may have no connection — many migrant workers from West Bengal have left their jobs. In one particular case, Delhi police detained Bengali speakers who had been granted Indian citizenship under a well-known land exchange treaty with Bangladesh signed by the Narendra Modi government. Bengali is India's second-largest language by number of speakers. The State of West Bengal is both a source and a destination for migrant workers. The divisions being created over language and identity could easily escalate into conflict and violence. Even for the BJP, this exercise makes little political sense and may be counterproductive ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal. The migrant workers from West Bengal who are being harassed in other States do not belong to a single community. BJP leaders in West Bengal are already facing criticism over the issue and are setting up camps to assist citizens with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in various constituencies across the State. The issue of Bangladeshi citizens entering and working in India is not new. For decades, people from the neighbouring country have entered India for political and social reasons, including better economic opportunities. The boundaries of India are a creation of colonialism and a violent history of political conflicts. While sovereign borders must be protected, the central government must ensure that law enforcement does not become counterproductive and lead to the harassment of its citizens.
The Hindu
8 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Union Minister assures Karnataka of making arrangements for supply of fertilizers to tide over shortage
Union Minister for Agriculture Shivaraj Singh Chauhan has assured Karnataka, facing urea shortage, of making arrangements to supply the remaining quantum of fertilizers from the allocated share to help tide over the shortage, according to Karnataka Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy. In an official note, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said the Union Minister had made the assurance at a video conference of State Agriculture Ministers. Responding to an appeal by him to make up for the short supply from the Centre, the Union Minister had said that he would talk to the Secretary to the Union Fertilizers' Ministry and make arrangements, he noted. At the videoconference, Karnataka again blamed the Centre's short supply for the urea shortage in the State, and appealed to it to immediately provide the remaining stock of 2.67 lakh tonnes. Giving the break-up of the urea shortage, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy told Mr. Chauhan that the shortage in the State stood at 1.27 lakh tonnes in July and 1.4 lakh tonnes in August. Pointing out that the south-west monsoon is the mainstay for the State's agricultural sector and sowing would gain steam by August-September that marks the closing phase of this season, the Minister expressed concern that the sowing and standing crops may get hit if farmers did not get adequate fertilizers on time. He also noted that urea was in great demand as it was being used as a 'top-dose fertilizer' for most of the crops. Emphasising the point that shortage of urea and DAP had become a national problem, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said Ministers from several States had raised issues related to urea shortage at the videoconference. He also brought to the notice of Mr. Chauhan that the State government had begun the operations of University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences in Mandya from this academic year and appealed to him to expedite the process of bringing the new university under ICAR's recognition so that the Central funds for development of the university could be availed.
The Hindu
8 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Bombay High Court to hear plea alleging threats to north Indians by Raj Thackeray, MNS
A criminal writ petition has been filed on Thursday in the Bombay High Court against the Maharashtra government, the Mumbai Commissioner of Police, the Election Commission, and MNS chief Raj Thackeray. The petition filed by Sunil Shukla, national president of the Uttar Bhartiya Vikas Sena, a political party, alleges that he and the north Indian community in Maharashtra have been subjected to repeated incidents of hate speech, targeted violence, and serious threats to their lives and liberty. 'Over the past few months, the petitioner has been subjected to grave threats, harassment, and physical intimidation, purely because of his political identity and advocacy for north Indian rights. The situation has reached an alarming stage, with public calls to violence and actual physical assaults following thereafter,' the plea read. He cites multiple instances, including an October 6, 2024, attack at his office in Andheri, allegedly by 30 MNS supporters, and a Gudi Padwa rally on March 30, 2025, where Mr. Thackeray allegedly incited violence against Hindi-speaking residents. Following the Gudi Padwa speech, the petition documents multiple incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking individuals, including a bank manager, a security guard, and bank staff, which were reported by various news outlets in early April 2025. Mr. Shukla states that he has received numerous threats, including phone calls and messages, to 'eliminate' him. The petition also mentions threats received through phone calls and messages in April 2025 by two MNS associates, Mahindra Manji Bhanushali and Avinash Anant Jadhav. The petition includes a timeline of complaints filed by him with various authorities, alleging a lack of action. He has sent email complaints to the DGP, the Commissioner of Police-Mumbai, the Home Minister, and the Governor of Maharashtra on October 9 and 16, 2024, the petition said. He has also submitted a written complaint to the Chief Minister on October 17, 2024. He also sent a complaint to the Governor, Union Home Minister, the Election Commission, the Maharashtra government, and the Commissioner of Police on July 10, 2025, expressing frustration over the lack of action. The petition states that after exhausting all remedies and not receiving a reply, Mr. Shukla filed a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court on April 15, 2025. The Supreme Court, in an order dated August 4, 2025, directed Mr. Shukla to approach the Bombay High Court, leading to the filing of the present petition. The petition seeks police protection for the petitioner and his family and the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Mr. Thackeray.
