Kolkata, 16 June

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the BJP of targeting Bengali-speaking citizens in states ruled by the saffron party by labelling even valid document holders as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Trouble started during the question hour in the Assembly when the CM accused the saffron party of carrying out a witch-hunt against Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states.

"You must be ashamed that you are labelling bona fide Indian citizens as Bangladeshis just because of the language they speak. One should feel proud to speak in Bengali, as well as Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi. If you ask me, I can speak in all these languages," Banerjee said.

"On one hand, you are branding Indians as Bangladeshis for their spoken word, and on the other, you are depriving these people, who hold voter ID, PAN, and Aadhaar cards, of the right to earn their livelihood in your states," she added.

Her remarks triggered an uproar from BJP legislators, who stood up in protest and shouted slogans.

However, the Chief Minister continued her speech undeterred.

Accusing the Centre of blocking central funds due to the state, the CM said despite the BJP’s step-motherly treatment, the state has laid 69,000 km of roads under Pathashree and initiated Awas Yojana with Rs 11,000 crore.

"Bengal has topped road and rural housing project rankings five times in a row," she added.

She claimed that despite the financial crunch, people in the state were getting 50 days of employment on average, and that her government had created 1.5 crore mandays under various schemes.

"While on one hand you deprive the poor people of Bengal, on the other, the procession of deaths in various mishaps continues in your states," she said.

Banerjee asserted that her government was working to safeguard the interests of Scheduled Castes (26 per cent), Scheduled Tribes (6 per cent), backward castes, and Muslims (30 per cent), in line with the Supreme Court and High Court directives on social welfare.

"None can derail our path or stop us from realising our dreams," she asserted.

Meanwhile, the BJP MLAs staged a walkout after the Speaker Biman Banerjee refused to admit an adjournment motion over the "crisis in the education sector" linked to the SSC scam, citing that the matter is sub-judice.

During the uproar, the Speaker suspended BJP MLA Manoj Orao for the day for breach of discipline and cautioned BJP chief whip Shankar Ghosh for his conduct.

All 40 BJP MLAs exited the House carrying potted tulsi plants in a symbolic protest.

As the opposition benches fell empty, Banerjee said, "They only want to use bad words and hurl baseless accusations. Will they now decide what one should wear, eat, or even which footwear to use? Will they impose diktats?" she asked.

Referring to BJP slogans branding her government as corrupt, Banerjee said, "I don’t accept the Rs 1.5 lakh pension allotted to me as a former MP. Will they teach me ethics and honesty?"

"Mark my words, BJP will be reduced to zero in the next Assembly elections. People have rejected your politics," she added.

In a veiled dig at state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, Banerjee referred to a recent controversy where a Sikh police officer was allegedly attacked.

"There is a half-central minister who is in love with chappals (slipper). Why don't they (BJP) open chappal shops?," she said.