TMC slams Modi for silence on atrocities on Bengali migrant workers
The Statesman | 19 July 2025
Trinamul Congress lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for maintaining silence on the attack and harassment of Bengali migrant workers in BJP-led states.
Chandrima Bhattacharya, finance minister and president of Trinamul Mahila Congres said in the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam and Delhi, Bengali-speaking migrant workers are being harassed for speaking their mother tongue. She alleged that on Thursday some policemen had gone to the shop of a local trader and asked him why he had written a signboard in Bengali. “The shopkeeper who is not a Bengali told the policemen that he had Bengali customers and hence he the signboard has been written in Bengali,” she said, adding, “Is Bengal outside India and have the Bengalis been banned from visiting Gujarat?” she asked.
She criticised Mr Modi for his statement that “Bengali workers have escaped as there are no opportunities in Bengal.” Mrs Bhattacharya said: “The workers have been hired in other states because of their skills. There are more than a crore workers from other states in Bengal,” she said, adding: “Mr Modi, who speaks about Indian Constitution, has flouted it as he has taken away the right to movement and right to speak, as guaranteed under the Indian Constitution by waging attack on Bengali workers.”
She said: “Mr Modi has spoken about the development in Assam and Odisha but deliberately did not mention the name of Bengal which has been one of the three states where massive development has taken place, according to a central government report.
Mrs Bhattacharya said Modi has deliberately spoken lies to confuse people regarding the alleged rape in recent times. “In both the cases the accused have been arrested within 24 hours. In R G Kar case, the accused was arrested by the city police and the CBI which is under the Centre could not add anything new.”
She said, “Today the foundation of projects worth Rs 5400 crore have been laid and the BJP is projecting as if he has inaugurated the projects.”
Kunal Ghosh, general secretary of Trinamul Congress, said: “PM Modi has spoken about parivartan (change). The change has taken place in him as he did not utter his favourite slogan Jai Shri Ram and instead took the names of Durga and Kali,” he said, adding: “Till recently, BJP leaders used to say that Mamata Banerjee had not allowed Durga Puja in Bengal. She took Ma Durga to UNESCO, which declared the Puja as Intangible Cultural Heritage.”
Both the leaders said the BJP will not get more than 50 seats in 2026 Assembly election and “as the election will come near, BJP leaders will come like daily passengers to Bengal.”