State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Trinamul Congress over its recent campaign protesting alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant labourers in various states.
The TMC has raised concerns that some migrant workers from Bengal, who failed to furnish proper identity documents, were wrongfully identified as illegal immigrants and pushed back to Bangladesh. Reacting sharply, Bhattacharya accused the party, and chief minister Mamata Banerjee in particular, of playing divisive and dangerous politics.
“By raising such issues, Mamata Banerjee is insulting other states and disrupting internal harmony. Her actions are not only misleading but are also endangering national security,” Bhattacharya told the Press in Siliguri.
He questioned why the chief minister repeatedly targeted BJP-ruled states like Maharashtra and Gujarat, while remaining silent on Tamil Nadu—ruled by her political ally M K Stalin. “There are thousands of migrant workers from North 24-Parganas working in Tamil Nadu. As a former MLA from this region, I often receive calls during identity checks targeting Bengali-speaking migrants. The purpose is to detect illegal immigrants and infiltrators from Bangladesh,” he said.
Calling Mamata Banerjee’s politics “deceptive,” Bhattacharya warned that her rhetoric could backfire on the very people she claims to protect. “If the CM continues with such politics and other states turn hostile to Bengalis working there, who will be responsible for their plight?” he asked.
Bhattacharya went further, accusing the chief minister of failing to support prominent Bengali figures on the national stage. “Did she ever support Pranab Mukherjee? She even mocked Rabindranath Tagore by writing Kathanjali, a poor imitation of Geetanjali,” he alleged.
Speaking at a party event in Siliguri after touring Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, and Jalpaiguri, Bhattacharya said: “This is not a felicitation. It’s a mission to uproot TMC from power in 2026.”
Bhattacharya urged all parties and individuals opposing the TMC to unite ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. “We are not here to divide Hindus and Muslims. But we urge the Muslim community to reconsider their blind support for a party that has used them merely as a vote bank,” he said.
He alleged that the state government’s move to include certain Muslim groups under the OBC category violated both religious principles and the recommendations of the Sachar Committee. “The Committee never advised granting OBC status to Muslims,” he claimed.
He also questioned rising intra-community violence: “Why are Muslims killing Muslims under TMC rule? Why is a section of them demanding a CBI probe?” he asked.
Bhattacharya concluded by asserting that the political binary in Bengal, which began in 2019, was gaining momentum, as reflected in recent bypoll results like in Kaliaganj. “
. We want to democratically dislodge the TMC through people’s power to save West Bengal,” he said.