TMC demands apology from Himanta for ‘writing Bengali as mother tongue’ remark

Amid allegations by migrant workers from West Bengal of being targeted in BJP-ruled States, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday raised objection to remarks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that “writing Bengali as mother tongue in the Census documents will quantify the number of foreigners in Assam”.

“Where does this hatred stem from? Why this contempt for Bengalis and Bangla?” the TMC wrote in a social media post.

Mr. Sarma had said on Friday that people who seek to replace Assamese with Bengali in the electoral rolls would help the government get an idea about the number of “foreigners” in the State.

The TMC in a series of social media posts said the Assam Chief Minister has made an “outrageous claim”. “Let’s remind him: our National Anthem is in Bengali. Our National Song is in Bengali. So when Himanta sings ‘Jana Gana Mana’ or ‘Vande Mataram’, does he automatically become an illegal Bangladeshi? By his own twisted logic, shouldn’t his citizenship now be questioned?” the party said.

The remarks came days after a Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam issued a notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar, declaring him an “illegal migrant”.

While the TMC and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Mr. Brajabasi was a resident of the State, the Assam CM said “Brajabasi is not a citizen of Bengal, where he went temporarily. He is a citizen of Assam”.

TMC leader Sushmita Dev accused Mr. Sarma of “divisive politics and racial profiling”. “Bengali is the 7th most spoken language in the world. Yet, under BJP’s rule, Bengali-speaking Indians are subjected to racial profiling, targeted harassment, and systematic persecution. By branding Bengalis as ‘illegal Bangladeshis’, the Assam CM has disgraced the very office he holds. He must apologise immediately,” Ms. Dev said.