West Bengal minister and senior Trinamool Congress leader Chandrima Bhattacharya has accused the BJP-led central government of orchestrating a “systematic and shameful” attack on Bengali identity, calling on Bengalis across the globe to unite in defence of their cultural and linguistic pride. Speaking at a culturally symbolic Ilish Utsav (Hilsa Festival) in Nimta on Sunday—organised by the local organisation Karmayogi Society—Bhattacharya alleged that Bengali-speaking citizens were being targeted and vilified in several BJP-ruled states in India. “Bengalis are being harassed, detained, even killed, simply for speaking their language,” she told the gathering. “Bengal has never humiliated those from Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand or Odisha. Why, then, is the rest of the country targeting Bengalis? This is no longer accidental—it is deliberate, and we will resist.”
Her remarks follow West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s invocation of a recent Human Rights Watch report which, according to her, detailed the illegal deportation and persecution of Bengali-speaking people in India. Citing the New York-based organisation’s findings, Banerjee had sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for “weaponising identity” and fanning communal divisions.
Bhattacharya echoed this concern and warned, “The central government will be made answerable. The global Bengali community will not stay silent.”
The festival itself, a celebration of Bengal’s love for ilish maachh (hilsa fish), carried an undertone of cultural unity. Organisers said the event was meant to act as a counterpoint to divisive rhetoric. “We invited people from all linguistic backgrounds—Bihari, Odia, Assamese—to join in. Our message is simple: diversity is not a threat, it’s a strength,” said Tapan Chakraborty, president of the Karmayogi Society.
In a sharp jibe at the growing politicisation of dietary and cultural habits, Bhattacharya remarked: “Now even what we eat—singara, jilipi—is being politicised. Who gave anyone the right to decide what a citizen can eat or speak? This is not nationalism, it’s narrow-mindedness.”
Targeting Home Minister Amit Shah by name, she said: “Stop this divisive politics. Bengalis live in the US, in China, in every corner of the world. You will soon realise what it means to attack the pride of Bengal.”
The event closed with references to Bengal’s cultural icons—from Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam to Saratchandra Chattopadhyay and Swami Vivekananda—as Chakraborty declared, “Those who chew gutka and abuse others’ culture won’t understand the richness of Bengal.”
As India heads towards a contentious electoral season, including assembly elections in West Bengal in 2026, issues of regional identity, linguistic rights, and citizenship are once again emerging as politically potent and deeply emotional subjects. The Trinamool Congress is now clearly positioning itself as a defender of Bengali pride, while accusing the BJP of erasing cultural plurality in the name of nationalism.
