Sagarika Ghose, Rajya Sabha MP (TMC): ‘Bangla speakers being targeted under linguistic terror… unacceptable'
On what basis has the TMC accused the BJP of 'unleashing linguistic terror' in the country?
It is very clear that in every BJP-ruled state, Bangla-speaking migrant workers are being targeted. They are being dubbed as Bangladeshi and Rohingya. They are being taken to police stations and asked to produce documents. They are citizens of India and they are producing the documents, compelling the police to let them off, but only after going through torture and harassment. Their only crime is that they are Bangla speakers and are being called Bangladeshis… These migrants are the ones who have built our cities.
Could you tell us about the weekend protests announced by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee?
Starting from July 27, our party will hold protests across West Bengal on this issue. Intellectuals, civil society members and people from different walks of life will protest against this. We feel very strongly about Bangla. It is our proud inheritance. It is the language of Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose, and so many other greats. The Bengalis were the ones who took the lead in the freedom struggle… To say that only Hindi is a repository of Indianness. This is Hindi imperialism. It is unacceptable to us. You cannot pick up people based on the language they speak. You can do it if they don't have the correct documentation.
How is the TMC going to raise this issue in Parliament?
We have been raising it in Parliament and outside. We have submitted a slew of adjournment notices seeking discussion on this issue. None of the notices are being taken up. Our leader (in Rajya Sabha) Derek O'Brien spoke in Bangla during the farewell remarks for Mr Vaiko in the House.
Have you discussed this issue with your INDIA bloc allies, and will they also raise this in the Houses?
All the allies are with us. They are aghast at the manner in which this is happening. All of this is related to the Bihar SIR, which is being undertaken with a malafide intent. This is what the EC is doing with political parties. It is based on exclusion. Who is the EC to decide who is a citizen? All of us (Opposition) are on board on this issue. This is an attack on Bangla speakers and part of 'linguistic terrorism' unleashed by the BJP.
Almost all the parties in Opposition have raised questions on the resignation of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar. The TMC has been largely silent on it. Why?
Our leader Mamata Banerjee has spoken. She has said that he didn't seem to be suffering from any health issues. I have also said that the government needs to bring clarity on why such a high Constitutional dignitary demitted office overnight.
Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express.
During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state.
During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute.
Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor.
Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More
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