KOLKATA, 21 JULY

Sharpening her ‘Bengali asmita’ pitch ahead of the 2026 polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the BJP of unleashing “linguistic terrorism” on Bengalis, asserting that the fight for identity and language will continue until the saffron party is defeated.

Addressing a massive Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata, Banerjee gave a clarion call to defeat the BJP in the 2026 assembly elections and eventually oust it from power at the Centre, declaring, “If this linguistic profiling doesn’t stop, our resistance movement will reach New Delhi.”

“If needed, there will be another language movement against the BJP’s terrorism on the Bengali language... From July 27, a movement will start in Bengal in protest against the attack on Bengalis, Bengali language and ‘Bhasha santras’ (linguistic terrorism),” she announced, positioning the campaign as a mass resistance to the alleged marginalisation of Bengali identity.

"We must win more seats in the 2026 assembly polls and then march to Delhi to defeat the BJP," she said.

Accusing the BJP of harassing Bengalis in states ruled by it, Banerjee alleged attempts to erase the identity of the community – from NRC notices to exclusion of names from voter lists and even detention camps.

“In 2019, they vandalised the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. They saw the results of that audacious act of insulting Bengali icons. Now, they have issued notifications to delete Bengali names from voter lists. In BJP-ruled states, Bengalis are being harassed and put in detention camps,” she said.

“I challenge the BJP – let me see how many people they will put in jail.”

Banerjee also launched a frontal attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, stating, “He cannot handle his state but is meddling in the affairs of Bengal. I urge Sushmita Dev (Assam TMC leader) to organise a massive protest in that state. We will all join.”

“Who gave the Assam government the right to send NRC notices to residents of Bengal?” she asked.

Noting that Bengal is home to nearly 1.5 crore migrants from other states, the CM said, “We welcome people from all over India, but look at what the BJP is doing to Bengalis.”

The TMC supremo also trained her guns at the Election Commission, accusing it of working in tandem with the BJP.

“The BJP and the Election Commission are conspiring against Bengal. They want to do in Bengal what they did in Bihar through SIR. In Bihar, they have deleted names of 40 lakhs voters. If they try the same here, we will gherao them. We will never allow it,” she asserted.

Referring to the BJP’s frequent rallies and marches to her residence and state secretariat, Banerjee warned of retaliation in the “language that they understand”.

“They (BJP) organise marches to my house and state secretariat. What will happen if TMC workers also organise a sit-in outside the homes of BJP leaders?” she asked.

Whenever a Bengali is detained or harassed in BJP-ruled states, sit on dharna to express solidarity with them here, she urged her cadre.

Hitting out at the saffron party’s claims of championing democracy, she said, “BJP talks against Emergency, whereas they have imposed ‘Super Emergency’ in the country.”

Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee said, “You say development will come to Bengal with change of guard. But, what have you done for the country’s development in the last 11 years?”

Her sharp rebuke came in the backdrop of Modi’s recent rally in West Bengal, where he had positioned the BJP as the only party that truly respects and protects Bengali asmita (pride), calling for an end to a regime of “lies, lawlessness and loot.”

“You are being controlled by the American President, and you dare to lecture us? When illegal immigrants were deported from the US, tied in shackles, mostly from Gujarat, what was the BJP doing then?” Banerjee asked, referring to the February deportation of Indians from the United States.

Mocking Modi’s attempts to connect with Bengali voters, she said, “You come to Bengal, speak in Bengali by watching a teleprompter, and think you can win our hearts? You couldn't even take PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir), but you are dreaming of Bengal!”

Announcing a roadmap of protests, Banerjee said after 27 July, rallies and marches will be held every weekend across Bengal against the BJP’s “attacks” on the Bengali language and community.

On women’s safety, she compared Bengal with BJP-ruled states, claiming “BJP should first answer why women in their states are facing such atrocities. Bengal acts promptly in cases of violence.”

“The BJP wants to erase our identity, language, culture and pride. But, I promise you, till the time we oust them from the Centre, our fight will continue,” she concluded to a thunderous applause.