Mamata Banerjee lashes out at BJP over ‘linguistic terrorism’, says won’t allow Bihar-like SIR in Bengal

Accusing BJP of planning to conduct a Bihar-like SIR exercise in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that she will never allow it in the state. She was speaking at the TMC’s Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata.

“BJP planning to conduct SIR-like exercise in Bengal, will never allow it,” she said at the rally. A special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway in Bihar, just before the state goes to elections for its Legislative Assembly.

According to a PTI report, the West Bengal CM also said that the BJP and the Election Commission were conspiring against Bengal, and wanted to remove Bengalis from the voter list.

Mamata attacks BJP over language

The TMC supremo further accused the BJP of unleashing “linguistic terrorism” on Bengalis, asserting that the fight for identity and language will continue till the saffron party is defeated, both in the state and at the Centre.

If linguistic profiling doesn’t stop, the resistance movement will reach Delhi, she asserted, the CM asserted.

The TMC supremo further hit out at the ruling party saying that “our fight will continue till we oust BJP from the Centre”. She also claimed that Bengalis were being harassed and put in detention camps in BJP-ruled states.

Banerjee gave a clarion call to defeat the saffron party in West Bengal’s 2026 assembly polls and eventually oust the BJP from power at the Centre, the PTI report added.

“There will be a language movement against the BJP’s terrorism on the Bengali language… From July 27, the language movement will start in West Bengal in protest against attacks on Bengalis,” Banerjee thundered before a massive turnout at the rally venue in central Kolkata.

“We have to win more seats in the 2026 assembly polls, and then march to Delhi to defeat the BJP,” she added.

Bengal CM hits out at BJP over NRC, women issues

Sharpening her attacks against the BJP, the TMC chief’s speech touched upon a wide range of issues – from NRC notices in West Bengal to the “targetting” of Bengalis in BJP-ruled states. Banerjee also accused the BJP of putting Bengalis in detention camps.

Attacking Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, she said, “He cannot handle his own state but is meddling in the affairs of West Bengal. I urge Sushmita Dev to organise a massive protest in Assam. We will all join.”

Banerjee said that West Bengal hosts around 1.5 crore migrants from other states, but they have never faced harassment.

“We welcome people from all over India, but look at what the BJP is doing to Bengalis. Who gave the Assam government the right to send NRC notices to residents of Bengal?” she said.

“BJP should answer why women in states ruled by it are facing atrocities,” Banerjee said, adding, “we are against any form of atrocities against women, take immediate action against such incidents.”

Banerjee even went on to accuse the BJP-led government of being “controlled by the American president”, questioning its lack of action when America was sending back illegal immigrants in shackles. “What was BJP doing when US sent back illegal immigrants in shackles?” she asked.