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West Bengal Assembly elections 2026

West Bengal Assembly elections 2026

India Today18-07-2025
As West Bengal gears up for the 2026 assembly election, the ruling Trinamool Congress has plunged headlong into an emotionally charged campaign centred on identity politics. At the heart of this campaign lies a powerful narrative: the defence of Bengali linguistic and cultural pride amid what the party alleges is an organised effort to harass, criminalise and deport Bengali-speaking migrant workers from BJP-ruled states. The incidents, TMC leaders claim, are part of a wider attempt to delegitimise Bengali identity across India. This endeavour is also tied to the BJP's efforts to shed a past filled with conflicting signals, bordering on antagonistic, on Bengalihood—with a distinctively north Indian accent. The latest reparative gesture came with the naming of Samik Bhattacharya as state BJP chief. While a dyed-in-the-wool Sangh product, his relatively sober persona gels better with the old bhadralok prototype. His coronation event, too, was saturated by Bengali religious iconography, especially that of goddess Kali.
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Oppn adamant on demand over electoral roll revision debate, Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm
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Oppn adamant on demand over electoral roll revision debate, Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm

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Mamata Banerjee claims Bengali family assaulted by Delhi police, cops refute

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday claimed that a Bengali-speaking migrant woman and her child were assaulted by Delhi Police personnel, sharing a video of the alleged incident on social media. However, Delhi Police on Monday rejected the allegation, calling the video "fabricated and baseless".In a post on social media platform X, Banerjee wrote: "Atrocious!! Terrible!! See how Delhi police brutally beat up a kid and his mother, members of a migrant family from Malda's Chanchal. See how even a child is not spared from the cruelty of violence in the regime of linguistic terror unleashed by the BJP in the country against the Bengalis! Where are they taking our country now?"advertisementThe video shared by Banerjee showed a child with scratches on his ear, followed by visuals of a woman making allegations of assault. DCP East Delhi Abhishek Dhania said that a detailed investigation into the matter had been conducted and the claims were found to be false."Based on technical and local intelligence, as well as CCTV camera footage, we have gathered various evidence. Based on that evidence, we found out that the whole story told by this lady is baseless," he told news agency said the woman in the video had alleged that "four policemen came to their house, took them away to a secluded place and demanded 25,000".However, during interrogation, she admitted that her relative, a political worker based in Malda district, had asked her to make the video, which was then shared with him and subsequently circulated to defame the Delhi Police, the officer said."During the interrogation, she mentioned that her relative, who lives in the Malda district of West Bengal, is a political worker, and on his request, she made this baseless video and shared it with him. Later, he circulated the video in the local media... After a thorough investigation and inquiry, we have concluded that the entire video is baseless and fabricated... Further investigation is still going on," Dhania leader Amit Malviya also criticised Banerjee's remarks, accusing her of spreading misinformation. Sharing the Delhi Police's version, Malviya wrote, "The enquiry reveals that the alleged incident of abduction, extortion, and police misconduct, as claimed in the social media post, is fabricated and baseless. No such incident, as described in the viral video and tweet, has occurred." He added, "Shame on evil Mamata Banerjee for spreading fake news."- EndsMust Watch

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