Adhir Chowdhury Writes to PM Modi Over Harassment of Bengali Migrant Workers
Member of the Congress Working Committee, Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, has written a strongly-worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing deep concern over the harassment, humiliation, and physical torture being faced by Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Odisha and Maharashtra. In his letter, Shri Chowdhury highlighted the alarming treatment of poor, bonafide Indian citizens who are being wrongfully targeted due to their linguistic identity, often mistaken for Bangladeshi nationals. Urging immediate intervention, he called upon the Prime Minister to direct the Ministries of Labour and Employment and Home Affairs to ensure protection of the fundamental rights and dignity of these inter-state migrant labourers. Shri Chowdhury is trying to leave no stone unturned in seeking justice for the affected workers, and has already written to the Hon’ble President of India and the Union Home Minister on this grave issue earlier. He stressed that the State must act decisively to prevent such large-scale abuse of innocent workers from West Bengal and uphold the values enshrined in the Constitution.
Congress Plans July 21 Counter-Rally in Bengal’s Palashi to Demand Justice for Violence Victims
The Congress has announced a counter-rally in Murshidabad’s Palashi on July 21, the same day West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is scheduled to hold its annual Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata, and the BJP has called for a protest march to Uttarkanya in north Bengal. Former West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee chief and senior MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury made the announcement on Friday, saying the Murshidabad District Youth Congress will organize a protest meeting demanding justice for Tamanna and Abhaya — two young victims of post-election violence allegedly involving TMC workers. “We are holding a rally at the historic plains of Palashi to seek justice for little Tamanna, who died in a bomb attack in Kaliganj after the elections, and our sister Abhaya. We consider them martyrs,” Chowdhury said at a press briefing at the Congress office in Berhampore. Although the program is being held under the banner of the district youth wing, Chowdhury claimed the organizers have already applied for police permission, similar to the BJP, whose rally in north Bengal was recently cleared by the Calcutta High Court. The announcement adds a third major political event to 21 July— a date charged with political symbolism in West Bengal. While TMC commemorates the 1993 police firing in Kolkata that killed 13 Youth Congress workers, the day has also become a battleground for political messaging. Referring to the High Court’s recent directive asking Kolkata Police to ensure that the TMC rally does not disrupt normal life in the city, Chowdhury remarked, “The decision of the High Court is absolutely right. Why should ordinary people suffer for what has become a picnic and pleasure trip in the name of Martyrs’ Day?” He also criticized Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly rewarding police officers responsible for the 1993 firing, while remaining silent on investigating the incident. “The state government is quiet on who ordered the firing and who was responsible,” he said. Chowdhury’s statements and the Congress’s Palashi event add further tension to an already politically charged day in West Bengal, as all three major parties seek to dominate the narrative.
