Days after power supply was discontinued at Jai Hind Camp in Delhi’s VasantKunj area, a delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs on Sunday visited the camp and accused the ruling BJP of discrimination against Bengali-speaking migrants living there.
The TMC delegation comprising RajyaSabha MPs SukhenduSekhar Roy, SagarikaGhose, and SaketGokhale interacted with the slum dwellers, who said they have been without electricity connection for the last five-six days.
“There is a sudden darkness in the lives of the residents here. We are concerned about this issue,” Roy said
“They are the poorest of the poor, many of them are daily wagers. The way electricity supply has been cut is very concerning,” he said.
The TMC leader said they will send a report on the situation to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
He added that the party will work on generating awareness and mobilising public opinion in favour of the residents.
The incident has drawn the ire of West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee, who recently alleged a broader pattern of hostility against Bengali-speaking communities.
“This is not just about one camp. We’ve seen similar incidents in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
There’s a worrying trend of targeting Bengali-speaking citizens,” Banerjee had said in a post on X.
TMC leader Ghose claimed that Bengali-speaking migrants were facing “discrimination” in several states ruled by the BJP. “In every BJP-ruled state. In Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, these migrant workers are being attacked.
They are being tortured, even though they are Indian citizens,” Ghose alleged.
“Everyone has an identity card. They are Indian citizens. So on what basis are they being called Bangladeshis? And they are being pushed into Bangladesh. They are being pushed into the hands of BSF. So this is an atrocity,” she said.
“We will not let this happen. You cannot torture Indian citizens like this. In India, multiple languages are spoken, and every language has its own identity, its own existence,” she said.
The residents of Jai Hind Camp claimed that a verification was done by the Delhi Police few months ago, where they had to produce their documents, and their addresses in West Bengal were also verified.
“We are not Bangladeshi or Rohingya, we are all Indians. Not a single Bangladeshi was found here,” said NabiHussain, a resident. The slum dwellers said the electricity was disconnected without any prior notice on July 8.
Mintoo, who is referred to as ‘pradhan’ by the migrants, said the power was disconnected on the basis of a court order, but they were not informed about it in advance. The court has also ordered an eviction, barring three households that got a stay, he said.