Mamata Banerjee Accuses BJP-Ruled States of Harassing Bengali Workers, Calls It ‘Linguistic Terror’

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday launched a scathing attack on BJP-governed states, accusing them of systematically targeting Bengali-speaking workers through harassment, detentions, and even alleged pushbacks into Bangladesh under the guise of identity checks — a practice she termed “linguistic terror.”

In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter), the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief singled out the Haryana and Rajasthan governments, accusing them of inflicting repeated “tortures and tortures (sic)” on Bengali-speaking citizens from West Bengal.

“Have been increasingly receiving reports of detentions and atrocities on our Bengali-speaking people from different districts of West Bengal in Gurgaon, Haryana. West Bengal Police is receiving these reports from Haryana Police in the name of requests for identity searches,” Banerjee wrote.

She further alleged that her government has received reports from Rajasthan as well, claiming that even those with valid documents are being illegally pushed back into Bangladesh.

“There are tortures and tortures on hapless poor Bengali workers from West Bengal in these states. I am shocked to see these terrible atrocities of double-engine governments on Bengalis in India. What do you want to prove? This is atrocious and terrible. We are not going to tolerate this. Stop this linguistic terror,” she added.

Banerjee’s statement comes amid rising political tensions between the TMC and the BJP, especially as West Bengal gears up for the 2026 Assembly elections. TMC leaders have repeatedly accused the BJP of trying to erase regional identities and languages in the name of nationalism, according to PTI.

Just days earlier, during her address at the TMC’s Martyrs’ Day rally on July 21, Banerjee had called for a ‘language movement’ to counter what she called the BJP’s “linguistic terrorism“.

As of now, there has been no official response from the Haryana or Rajasthan governments. However, BJP leaders in Bengal have previously dismissed such allegations as politically motivated and baseless.

With these latest remarks, Banerjee appears to be making Bengali identity and dignity a central plank of her party’s strategy leading into the 2026 polls.