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The Hindu
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Assam BJP leader slams Malviya over ‘Bangladeshi language' row
A former Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Assam's Bengali-speaking Barak Valley hit out at party leader Amit Malviya for his take on Sylheti, a variant of Bengali. Defending a recent Delhi Police communique seeking the 'translation of documents containing text in Bangladeshi language', Mr. Malviya, who heads the BJP's information technology cell, said the Sylheti dialect of Bengali was 'nearly incomprehensible to Indian Bengalis'. Taking to social media, the BJP's former Silchar MP, Rajdeep Roy, wrote: 'Sylheti is far older than the modern state of Bangladesh, or even East Pakistan. It transcends the borders and histories of today's political entities.' Pointing out that Sylheti is the lingua franca of Barak Valley, Mr. Roy said that more than 70 lakh people in Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura speak it. He said dismissing Sylheti as alien to Bengalis in India was 'inaccurate, deeply unfortunate, and condemnable'. The former MP also reminded Mr. Malviya that some of the historical figures that the BJP reveres spoke Sylheti. They include Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, and Bipin Chandra Pal, one of the Lal-Bal-Pal trio of India's freedom movement. Other BJP leaders in Barak Valley spoke out against Mr Malviya. 'Silchar's incumbent MP, Parimal Suklabaidya, is a Sylheti speaker. So is Kabindra Purkayastha, who became our party's first-ever MP from the northeast in 1991,' a BJP leader in Barak Valley said. The Trinamool Congress's Rajya Sabha member and a resident of Silchar, Sushmita Dev, slammed Mr. Malviya too. 'It is disgraceful that the BJP's loudmouth does not know the history of those of us who speak in Sylheti. The Prime Minister's Office needs to sack this incompetent and ignorant bigot,' she said. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi said it was not surprising for the 'arrogant BJP' to dehumanise Bengali people living in West Bengal and the northeastern States of the country. 'First, the BJP asks the Bengali people to declare themselves as Bangladeshis through the CAA, and now the party insults their language as being foreign. The BJP does not want a united India. They are only interested in reopening old scars,' he posted on X. Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that the Delhi Police's letter to the Resident Commissioner of New Delhi's Banga Bhavan for assistance on 'Bangladeshi language' was 'scandalous, insulting, anti-national, unconstitutional'. She pointed out that Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote the National Anthem and the National Song in Bengali. Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, the founder of Tripura's Tipra Motha Party, also expressed his indignation at the letter. 'This is deeply concerning. Today it is Bengali, tomorrow it can be any other language. There is no such thing as the Bangladeshi language! How can we forget that even our National Anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was originally composed in Bengali by Tagore,' he asked.
The Print
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Print
‘Bangladeshi language' row: Amit Malviya defends Delhi Police letter, Oppn slams BJP ‘mouthpiece'
'Delhi Police is absolutely right in referring to the language as Bangladeshi in the context of identifying infiltrators. The term is being used to describe a set of dialects, syntax, and speech patterns that are distinctly different from the Bangla spoken in India. The official language of Bangladesh is not only phonologically different, but also includes dialects like Sylheti that are nearly incomprehensible to Indian Bengalis,' Malviya wrote Monday. His long post on X, in which he also argued that there is 'no language called Bengali' that covers all its 'variants', triggered a backlash from leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress in West Bengal and the Northeast. New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya has defended a Delhi Police communique calling Bengali as a 'Bangladeshi language', saying it was 'right' to do so in the context of identifying infiltrators. He added that there is 'in fact, no language called 'Bengali' that neatly covers all these variants. 'Bengali' denotes ethnicity, not linguistic uniformity. He was responding to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's statement that the Delhi Police letter to the resident commissioner of the Banga Bhavan in the capital was 'scandalous, insulting, anti-national, unconstitutional'. 'Bengali, our mother tongue, the language of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda, the language in which our National Anthem and the National Song (the latter by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) are written, the language in which crores of Indians speak and write, the language which is sanctified and recognised by the Constitution of India, is now described as a Bangladeshi language!!' Mamata had said. Malviya's statement, particularly his reference to Sylheti as 'nearly incomprehensible to Indian Bengalis', angered leaders in Assam's Barak Valley, home to a large population of Sylhetis, who are also present in significant numbers in Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal. In fact, in 1991, Kabindra Purkayastha, whose first language was the Sylheti dialect of Bengali, got elected to the Lok Sabha from Silchar, becoming the first ever BJP MP from Northeast. Even the current MP from Silchar—Parimal Suklabaidya—is from the BJP, which has won the seat five times since 1991. 'Disgraceful that the BJP's loud mouthpiece doesn't know the history of those of us who speak in Sylheti. PMO India needs to sack this incompetent and ignorant bigot. To say Sylheti is nearly incomprehensible to Indian Bengalis is a brainless statement coming from an empty vessel. Sylheti has been spoken & understood across India,' TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev, who represented Silchar as a Congress Lok Sabha MP in the past, said. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi also slammed Malviya, saying the 'arrogance of the BJP' blinds them to the dehumanisation of the Bengali people of West Bengal and Northeast India. 'Today the BJP IT cell insults the Bengali language spoken by lakhs of people in Tripura, Meghalaya and the Barak Valley of Assam. First the BJP asks the Bengali people to declare themselves as Bangladeshis first through the CAA, and now the party insults their language as being foreign. The BJP do not want a united India. They are only interested in re-opening old scars,' Gogoi wrote on X. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: 'Jaitley was sent to threaten me, LS poll was rigged': Rahul's speech at Congress conclave raises storm
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Del cops are right, there's no language called Bengali: Malviya
Kolkata: There is no language called 'Bengali', said BJP's Bengal minder Amit Malviya on Monday. Leading Bengal BJP's efforts to defend Delhi Police 's choice of words in its notice seeking translators for "Bangladeshi national language", Malviya posted on X, "Bengali denotes ethnicity, not linguistic uniformity," adding, "There is, in fact, no language called 'Bengali' that neatly covers all these variants. " Criticising Trinamool for "inciting linguistic conflict", Malviya wrote: "Delhi Police is absolutely right in referring to the language as Bangladeshi in the context of identifying infiltrators. The term is being used to describe a set of dialects, syntax, and speech patterns that are distinctly different from the Bangla spoken in India. The official language of Bangladesh is not only phonologically different but also includes dialects like Sylheti that are nearly incomprehensible to Indian Bengalis. " "So, when the Delhi Police uses 'Bangladeshi language', it is a shorthand for the linguistic markers used to profile illegal immigrants from Bangladesh — not a commentary on Bengali as spoken in West Bengal," he added. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata "For context, 'Ananda Math' was written in Bangla of the era, against the backdrop of the Sanyasi Rebellion. The iconic 'Vande Mataram' was composed separately in Sanskrit and later incorporated into the novel. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 22 Illustrations of a Husband and Wife in Everyday Life Watch More Undo 'Jana Gana Mana', originally composed and sung as a Brahmo hymn, was written in Sanskritised Bangla," posted the BJP neta. Malviya went on to add: "Mamata Banerjee's reaction to Delhi Police referring to the language used by infiltrators as 'Bangladeshi' is not just misplaced, it is dangerously inflammatory. Nowhere in the Delhi Police letter is Bangla or Bengali described as a 'Bangladeshi' language. To claim otherwise and call upon Bengalis to rise against the Centre is deeply irresponsible. Mamata Banerjee should be held accountable — perhaps even under the National Security Act — for inciting linguistic conflict. " Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya had said on Sunday that there was nothing wrong with the choice of words. "If you pick up a book written by Subodh Sarkar and another by Shafikul Islam of Bangladesh, you will get to know the difference instantly. Speaking in Bangla is no qualification for being a citizen of India or a bona fide voter."
Hindustan Times
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mamata Banerjee angered by Delhi police mention of ‘Bangladeshi language', BJP reacts
'Scandalous, insulting, anti‑national, and unconstitutional" is how Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee described an August 3 letter by the Delhi police that called Bengali, or Bangla, a 'Bangladeshi language'. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee at a function in Kolkata.(HT File Photo) The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, sharing an image of the letter on X, emphasised that Bengali is sanctified by the Indian Constitution, and the mother tongue of icons like Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. The police had purportedly written to Banga Bhawan, West Bengal's state guest house in New Delhi, seeking assistance with translating documents written in 'Bangladeshi language' for eight individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. HT has not independently verified the authenticity of the letter, while police have not yet responded. The image shared by Banerjee showed that the letter, dated July 24, said police needed an interpreter 'proficient in Bangladeshi national language' for documents belonging to the eight persons 'strongly suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals residing illegally in India'. TMC national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee demanded an apology from home minister Amit Shah, under whose ministry Delhi Police falls, for the way the letter was written. 'For months now, Bengali-speaking people have been targeted, harassed and detained across BJP-ruled states,' he added, and called the letter 'a shocking escalation' and an attempt to 'undermine Bengali identity' and "equate Indian Bengalis with foreigners'. Reacting to the allegations, Samik Bhattacharya, the West Bengal BJP chief, accused the TMC of resorting to 'fear-mongering tactics' for Indian Bengalis while 'shielding' illegal immigrants. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya reacted, too, accusing Mamata Banerjee of spreading misinformation for 'vote‑bank politics'. He called her X post 'a badly scripted political stunt'. Bengali artists were incensed by the notice too. "Bangla referred to as Bangladeshi language... Exactly the kind of ignorance I expect from the people responsible... Not surprised at all," wrote singer Surojit Chatterjee. "That's not Bangladeshi language… that's Bangla or Bengali," film director Srijit Mukherji posted on X, 'the same language in which your national anthem was originally written and one of the 22 official languages of India.'
Hindustan Times
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Bengal launch helpline amid migrant worker harassment row; BJP floats counter helpline
Kolkata: The West Bengal Police has launched a helpline to support Bengali-speaking migrant workers amid rising tensions over their alleged harassment in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led states. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee lead a protest rally against alleged harassment of Bengali speaking migrant people in other states. (HT PHOTO/Samir Jana) In response, the BJP has termed the move politically motivated and accused the state police of targeting Bengali Hindus, and the leader of the opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, has launched a parallel helpline for Bengali Hindus in West Bengal. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit out at the BJP after the Gurugram administration in Haryana detained 52 Bengali-speaking migrant workers on suspicion that they were illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and sought background verification reports from the Bengal government. 'If you face problems while working in another state from Bengal, contact the state police helpline. We are receiving reports from various sources that many people from Bengal working in other states are facing various problems and becoming victims of harassment,' the West Bengal police wrote on X. 'We appeal to citizens from Bengal who go to work in other states and face any kind of problem, or their families, to immediately inform your local police station. You can also inform the district control room. Additionally, for the convenience of families, we are launching a helpline. The number is 9147727666. This number can only be used for WhatsApp. You can send a message with the necessary information, including your name and address. We will verify each piece of information and coordinate with the concerned state to take necessary action,' the state police added. Adhikari countered the Trinamool Congress (TMC) narrative on X saying, 'This post is completely politically motivated. This post has been made to confuse the Bengalis living in different parts of India on a work basis, so that they become upset. Indian Bengalis and Hindu refugees are not facing any problem in the entire land of India.' Also Read: 400 Bengali migrant labourers tagged as Bangladeshis, being held in Rajasthan: Mamata Banerjee Migrant workers from West Bengal were reportedly detained in several states including Odisha, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Delhi, among others. Assuring the public not to panic, Banerjee said, 'It is our duty to protect citizens. If the BJP thinks this is how it can delete the names of voters and win elections, as it did in Delhi and Maharashtra, then it is making a big mistake.' Banerjee also announced that her party would begin its year-long 'Bhasha Andolan' (language movement) on July 27 in protest against the detention of Bengali-speaking individuals in BJP-ruled states. She has directed her party leaders to hold rallies every weekend until the state elections scheduled in 2026. Banerjee alleged that several migrants were detained even though they had valid documents, such as Aadhaar and PAN cards, and deported to Bangladesh by the Border Security Force (BSF) in June. The West Bengal police brought some of them back after verifying their Indian identity, she said. Also Read: Mamata Banerjee announces agitation for Bengali-speaking people from July 27 BJP legislator Adhikari, meanwhile, urged citizens in Bengal to share information about illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas residing in the state. 'Bengali Hindus residing in West Bengal are often harassed by the police. If Bengali Hindus and Indian Hindus, who are residing in West Bengal, face any kind of harassment by Mamata's police, they can inform me over email with details,' Adhikari wrote on X. Addressing a programme at Tamluk in Bengal's Purba Medinipur district, Adhikari said: 'If around 50 lakh names were excluded in Bihar, Bengal could have as many as 1.25 crore such names. All Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in West Bengal will be pushed back after the SIR.' 'The BJP has been alleging that lakhs of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis are residing in West Bengal. Till date, however, Adhikari has not been able to show a single such person. A false narrative is being created. If Rohingyas and Bangladeshis are staying in any part of India, the question arises how did they enter the country through international borders? Who protects these borders?' state vice president and spokesperson of the TMC, Jay Prakash Majumdar, said.
