Mamata Banerjee to Lead Protest March Against Linguistic Profiling in BJP States

Kolkata, July 16 (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to lead a protest march in Kolkata this Wednesday, addressing concerns over purported harassment faced by Bengali-speaking individuals in BJP-governed states.

The demonstration is slated to commence at College Square at approximately 1 pm, culminating at Dharmatala, a central junction in the city.

Prominent TMC leaders, including the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, will be in attendance to bolster the march.

The protest comes as the TMC ramps up its rhetoric against what it describes as a coordinated effort to linguistically profile, unlawfully detain, and erroneously label Bengali speakers as "illegal immigrants."

"This is not a conventional political affair," remarked state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.

"It is a fight to preserve Bengal’s pride, language, and cultural identity. If anyone dubs a Bengali as Bangladeshi, we shall not stand idly by," she asserted.

Typically, the TMC avoids large public gatherings ahead of its annual Shahid Dibas event on July 21. However, recent incidents, such as the detainment of migrant workers in Odisha, eviction drives in Delhi, and a notice to a farmer in Cooch Behar by an Assam foreigners' tribunal, have prompted the party to change its approach.

These protests shed light on the central themes of TMC's campaign for the impending assembly elections, scheduled for the middle of next year. The party appears to focus on rekindling voters' emotional ties through a campaign that merges identity politics with grassroots engagement.

"Bengal will not lower its head. This struggle transcends the plight of migrant workers—it is a demand for our right to maintain dignity within our own nation," Bhattacharya stressed.

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