Mamata Banerjee on Monday reminded the powers that be in Delhi and elsewhere the “leading contribution” of the Bengalis in the freedom struggle and the great Indian renaissance before — condemning the Centre and the Election Commission for “trying to erase Bengali identity” from Indian cultural mosaic.
At the culmination of a massive “Bhasha Andolan” (language movement) rally that she launched from Bolpur-Shantiniketan — the abode of Poet Laureate Rabindranath Tagore — to protect the Bengali Asmita in the face of alleged attacks on Bengali migrant workers in BJP-ruled States and alleged “designs to strike out names of Indian citizens from voters’ lists,” Banerjee warned, “this trend to divide the society will one day boomerang for all those who are indulging in it this will not be tolerated till I am there in Bengal.”
She stopped short of making targeted attacks but asked, “how could you forget the contributions of Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Raja Rammohan Roy, Vidya Sagar, Kshudiram Bose and the likes” in building an India that it is today. “I don’t want to take names and those who are wise people will understand who I mean,” Banerjee said, “this divisive politics will lead you nowhere and will ultimately break the great societal glue that India is made of,” even as she asked “when you go to Abu Dhabi or Saudi Arabia or for that matter even Maldives and hug their Sheikhs and Presidents do you inquire about their religions but in India your target is poor migrant workers from Bengal who are being hunted out, beaten up, harassed and even pushed back to Bangladesh despite showing all documents proving their Indian nationality why so much of persecution just because we speak in Bengali is it the fault of the people of Bengal to speak the same language that is spoken in Bangladesh.”
Reminding that Bengali is the “fifth largest spoken language in the world” and the “second largest spoken language in Asia” — Bengali is arguably the seventh largest spoken language in the world and fifth in Asia — the Chief Minister asked all the residents of Bengal to “unite and stand up against the persecution of Bengalis.”
Reminding that 1.5 crore “non-Bengalis work in Bengal against 20 lakh Bengali migrant workers who work outside Bengal,” Banerjee said, “if we can respect and give love to the non-Bengalis in Bengal why can't Bengalis be given their due honour,” asking the Bengali migrant workers to “come back to Bengal we will provide you with food and shelter if we eat one bread we will spare half the bread for you we will give your children education and create jobs for you but return from Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra if you are unwelcome there.”
Lashing out at the Election Commission of India Banerjee said, “I must offer all kinds of flowers from marigold to hibiscus at the feet of the ECI but I will never allow them to introduce National Register for Citizens in the name of special intensive revision of voters' lists we will not allow them to slap NRC on Bengalis come what may.”
Daring the Commission to introduce a Bihar-like SIR in Bengal and face the music Banerjee threatened a “new type of Khela hobe “(game) if you dare do that … because this time the women will come forward with conch shells and ululation… against this deliberately political act.”
“I will not allow NRC to be implemented in Bengal as long as I am alive. I won't allow detention camps to be built here. Try removing names from Bengal... there will be consequences,” she thundered.
She said that the Bengalis were proud of their language and motherland adding “if Bengal could take a lead in freedom struggle and socio-cultural reforms then they also know to fight for their culture … You can forget everything, but you must not forget your roots.”
Banerjee who chaired an administrative meeting at Bolpur in Birbhum district discussed assistance to the migrant workers who had returned home from the other States. “those who are returning must be issued ration cards, temporary shelter and other facilities,” she told the administration reminding the “not only the minorities but the OBCs are also being harassed.”
A new scheme --- called Amar Para Amar Samadhan (my locality my solution) --- that the State had earlier launched would be applicable to the returning migrant workers she said.
She also directed the officials to assist the people during revision of electoral rolls and see that no one was harassed.