Key points
- Mamata Banerjee sharply criticises language used in the letter
- Calls it “scandalous, insulting, anti-national and unconstitutional”
- Bengali language is not a foreign language: Banerjee
ISLAMABAD: The Indian State of West Bengal’s ruling party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has strongly objected to a letter from Delhi police that referred to the Bengali language as “Bangladeshi,” calling the characterisation an insult to Bengali culture and identity.
The controversy stems from a July 29 communication issued by the Officer-in-Charge of Lodhi House Police Station to Banga Bhawan, seeking translation of documents written in what was described as the “Bangladeshi language.”
According to The Hindu, the documents were linked to an investigation involving eight individuals suspected of being Bangladeshi nationals residing in India’s capital.
“Scandalous, insulting”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sharply criticised the language used in the letter, calling it “scandalous, insulting, anti-national, and unconstitutional.”
She stated that such wording demeans all Indian citizens who speak Bengali, a constitutionally recognised language widely spoken across the country.
“The Bengali language is not a foreign language. It is the language of our national anthem and national song. Calling it ‘Bangladeshi’ degrades and debases us all,” Banerjee said on social media, urging strong public protest.
Intensified political tensions
The issue has further intensified political tensions between TMC and India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The TMC leadership accused the central government of promoting an “anti-Bengali” agenda, with the party’s general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, calling it a “calculated attempt” to discredit Bengal and its culture.
“This is not a clerical error,” he said. “It’s an attack on our identity, culture, and belonging. Bengalis are not outsiders in their own homeland.”
