Spl assembly session to discuss violence faced by Bengalis in other states
Times of India | 2 September 2025
Kolkata: The three-day special Bengal Assembly session started on Monday with speaker Biman Banerjee admitting a resolution for discussion, strongly condemning attacks on Bengali-speaking people in BJP-governed states.
CM Mamata Banerjee is likely to speak on the motion. TMC's repeated demands to hold a debate on the issue in Parliament have been thwarted.
Bengal parliamentary affairs minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay moved the resolution which read: "Bengali is the fifth most-spoken language globally and the second in Asia. It has been included in the eighth schedule of the Constitution and is a recognised language in the Constitution since 1950.
According to the census of 2011, about 8.3% of the country's population speak Bengali." Saying that there have been several instances of physical attacks on Bengali-speakers in different states, the resolution added: "Migrant workers from Bengal are being insulted by being called ‘Bangladeshi'.
Allegations have surfaced of them being detained, and money extorted from the family. In many cases, efforts are being made to forcibly send them to Bangladesh."
The motion sought to condemn such attacks and the "political conspiracy" against Bengali-speakers hatched by the country's "biggest party in office". The said party was indulging directly or indirectly in such assaults and terming Bengali a language of Bangladesh, the resolution said.
Speaker Biman Banerjee said that Bengali-speaking people from Bengal were being persecuted in other states, and there was anxiety over this.
"We expect that all parties with representatives in the assembly will participate in this discussion peacefully. The interests of Bengali-speakers from Bengal are involved. We believe that representatives of all parties will speak with emphasis on language and culture rather than politics," he said.
Discussions would be held for two hours each on Tuesday and Thursday, Banerjee added. On both days, there will be no "calling attention" or "mention" sessions.
The assembly is also expected to discuss the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls in these three days.