TMC Revives ‘Bengali Vs Bahari’ Narrative Ahead Of July 21 Rally, Accuses BJP Of ‘Cultural Assault’

Last Updated:July 08, 2025, 12:03 IST

Experts believe the insider vs outsider messaging was instrumental in TMC’s landslide victory in the 2021 polls, when BJP struggled to connect with the regional identity of Bengal

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee recently asked if speaking Bengali is now a crime in India. (PTI)

The Trinamool Congress (TMC), in a political throwback to its 2021 campaign strategy, has once again sharpened its ‘Bengali vs Bahari’ narrative, accusing the BJP of launching a targeted cultural and political assault on Bengal and its people.

Experts believe the messaging was instrumental in TMC’s landslide victory in the 2021 assembly elections, when the BJP struggled to connect with the regional identity of Bengal.

Now, in 2025, with a shift in BJP’s state leadership—appointing Samik Bhattacharya, a quintessential Bhadralok Bangali, as its West Bengal president—the TMC is attempting to reposition the narrative.

Mamata Banerjee’s party has alleged a systematic anti-Bengali agenda driven by the saffron party. A tweet, aggressively promoted across platforms by TMC over the past two days, accuses the BJP of waging a “cultural purge" in Bengal:

“Bangla-Birodhi @BJP4India has unleashed a sinister, three-pronged assault on our people, and the execution is already underway:

• NRC notices are being sent to legitimate Indian citizens in Bengal to harass and intimidate them

• A Special Intensive Revision exercise is being pushed ahead of the 2026 elections to disenfranchise millions

• Workers from Bengal are being branded as ‘illegal Bangladeshis’ in BJP-ruled states and forcibly deported with BSF’s help

It’s a full-blown war on Bengalis. A CULTURAL PURGE designed by a party that simply can’t stomach rejection. They lost Bengal. Now they want REVENGE."

According to sources, the party will amplify this messaging at the upcoming July 21 Martyrs’ Day Rally, where chief minister Banerjee is expected to deliver her political message for the year. The rally will likely spotlight three major allegations:

• NRC harassment: TMC will allege that legitimate Bengali citizens are being threatened with eviction through NRC notices.

• Voter deletion: The party claims the Election Commission, under BJP pressure, is using voter roll revision—particularly in Bihar—to delete names of Bengal-based voters ahead of the 2026 polls.

• Deportation of workers: The party alleges that Bengali-speaking migrant workers are being wrongfully identified as illegal immigrants in BJP-ruled states and forcibly deported.

Speaking to News18, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, who has worked extensively on migrant issues, said: “This is a threat to our mother tongue and cultural identity. For the last six years, Bengalis have faced targeted harassment in BJP-ruled states like Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi. Authorities suddenly approach people demanding documents. If we question it, we’re told to prove that they are from West Bengal.

“On June 13, several Bengali-speaking individuals were picked up by Mumbai Police and deported to Bangladesh without informing anyone. A similar incident took place in Birbhum involving Delhi Police. These are deliberate actions—BJP is clearly anti-Bengali. We’ve taken legal action and written to the Union Home Minister multiple times."

The chief minister herself recently posed a sharp question: “Is speaking Bengali now a crime in India?"

In addition to cultural and linguistic concerns, the TMC is also raising economic grievances, alleging that the BJP-led Centre is withholding MGNREGA funds and other central allocations to Bengal. The party is portraying this as a preview of what governance could look like if the BJP were ever to come to power in the state.

Political observers believe that TMC’s repeated focus on the “anti-Bengali" narrative is a strategic effort to implant the idea deep in the public consciousness, especially ahead of the 2026 state elections.

However, the BJP has dismissed the allegations as baseless. BJP leader and MLA Agnimitra Paul, speaking to News18, said: “How can they accuse us of being anti-Bengali? The founder of our party, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, was a proud Bengali. We don’t need lessons in Bengali identity from the TMC."

The TMC is putting its entire political weight behind the ‘Bengali vs Bahari’ narrative and it will be interesting to see how it resonates in the polls next year.

Kamalika Sengupta

Kamalika Sengupta, Editor, Digital East of News18, is a multilingual journalist with 16 years of experience in covering the northeast, with specialisation in politics and defence. She has won UNICEF Laadli Awar...Read More

Kamalika Sengupta, Editor, Digital East of News18, is a multilingual journalist with 16 years of experience in covering the northeast, with specialisation in politics and defence. She has won UNICEF Laadli Awar...

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News politics TMC Revives ‘Bengali Vs Bahari’ Narrative Ahead Of July 21 Rally, Accuses BJP Of ‘Cultural Assault’