Crash. Claim. Controversy (6)

Mamata Banerjee Slams Delhi Police for Calling Bengali a 'Bangladeshi Language'; Artists, CPM Join Chorus Against Identity Insult

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday lambasted a letter by Delhi Police that addressed Bengali (Bangla) as a ‘Bangladeshi language,’ denouncing it as ‘scandalous, insulting, anti-national, and unconstitutional.’

The letter claimed to have been written to Banga Bhawan in New Delhi and asked for translation assistance for documents allegedly belonging to suspected Bangladeshi nationals.

The controversy has snowballed into a political face-off, with leaders across party lines and cultural figures condemning the language reference as an affront to Bengali identity.

Banerjee Reacts, Cites Constitution and Cultural Icons

Posting on the social media site X, Mamata Banerjee posted a photograph of the letter and emphatically justified the position of Bengalis. “Bengali is not merely a language; the Indian Constitution consecrates it,” she posted. “It’s the mother tongue of Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and millions of proud Indians.”

Banerjee also blamed the BJP for targeting Bengali speakers repeatedly, particularly in BJP-ruled states. “This is a concerted effort to destabilize the identity of Bengalis and present them as outsiders in their own country,” she said.

BJP Retorts with Charges of ‘Vote-Bank Politics’

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya responded to Banerjee by calling her statement ‘a poorly scripted political stunt’ and accusing her of spreading disinformation for political purposes. “This is another case of Mamata Banerjee doing vote-bank politics,” he tweeted on X.

West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya similarly reacted, charging the Trinamool Congress (TMC) with ‘fear-mongering’ and attempting to ‘protect illegal immigrants.’

TMC and Opposition Demand Apology

TMC national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee called for an unconditional apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, whose ministry the Delhi Police operates under. “This is a shocking escalation in the BJP’s effort to equate Indian Bengalis with foreigners,” he stated.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra termed the language employed in the letter ‘a calculated move’ and requested an apology. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) added its voice to the chorus, saying, “Millions speak Bengali of Indians. To equate it with Bangladeshi identity is criminalisation of language and identity.”

Artists and Cultural Voices Speak Out

The row has evoked stinging reactions from the Bengali arts community. Director Srijit Mukherji posted, “That’s not Bangladeshi language… that’s Bangla, one of the 22 official languages of India, and the language in which the national anthem was originally written.”

Singer Surojit Chatterjee joined in: “Exactly the kind of ignorance I expect from the people responsible. Not surprised at all.”

Police Yet to Clarify

Delhi Police has not released any official statement regarding the letter's authenticity or the language used until Sunday evening. It is pertinent to mention that the Industry Wired team has not verified the document.