KOLKATA — Left parties in West Bengal, led by CPI(M), on Wednesday, took out a protest march in Kolkata to condemn the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states.
However, from the same rally, the Left leaders accused West Bengal Chief Minister of dichotomy, which had prompted her to exploit the issue to suit her political agenda.
The rally was led by the CPI(M) politburo member and the party’s state secretary in West Bengal, Md. Salim. The rally began from the base of the Lenin Statue in the Esplanade area in central Kolkata and ended at Ramlila Park near Moulali, also in central Kolkata.
Addressing party workers who took part in the protest march, Salim alleged that the BJP was targeting the Bengali-speaking people as part of its divisive politics.
“Elections in Bihar are scheduled soon. Next year, Assembly polls will be held in West Bengal as well. Across the country, Bengalis are being targeted. We have no words to condemn such harassment and attack as it is being done as part of the party’s divisive politics,” said Salim.
He also accused different BJP-ruled state governments of allegedly harassing the Bengali-speaking people after branding them as illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators first.
“At the same time, an attempt is going on to brand them as doubtful voters in the pretext of conducting a special revision of the voters’ list by the Election Commission of India,” Salim said.
According to him, people coming from a weaker economic background, such as migrant labourers, are suffering the most in this process.
“The Constitution allows Indian citizens to travel, work, and live across the country. This is internal migration, and the central government must provide them with social security,” said Salim.
He also slammed Mamata Banerjee for turning the plight of the Bengali-speaking into a poll issue, given the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election.
“She is politicising the matter because the election is just around the corner. Mamata Banerjee also wants to divide the people by instilling a sense of fear among them. If people get divided, then both Mamata Banerjee and the BJP would benefit from it,” he said. –IANS
