Trinamool Congress on Sunday slammed Delhi Police for using the term "Bangladeshi language" while referring to Bengali, calling it an official attempt to strip a constitutionally recognized language of its identity and portray millions of Bengali-speaking Indians as “outsiders”. He was referring to official letter of Delhi Police in which this reference has been made.
Raising questions on this letter, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said on Sunday on 'X'- This is not a small mistake of Delhi Police. This is a well-planned conspiracy of the BJP to defame Bengal, weaken our cultural identity and gain political advantage by linking Bengal with Bangladesh.
Trinamool Congress MP claimed that the 'Bangladeshi national language' term written in a purported letter by an officer of Delhi Police, investigating a case under the Foreigners' Act, was a calculated attempt by the BJP to "defame Bengal".Claiming that the police officer in charge of the investigation has written to the Banga Bhawan in the national capital, seeking a translator for "Bangladeshi national language" following the arrest of eight people, suspected to have illegally crossed over into India from the neighbouring country.
Posting the purported letter in his social media handle, Banerjee claimed, "For months now, Bengali-speaking people have been targeted, harassed and detained across BJP-ruled states. Now, in a shocking escalation, @DelhiPolice has officially referred to Bangla, as a “Bangladeshi language” in an official letter." The authenticity of the purported letter has not been independently verified.
“Make no mistake – this is not a clerical error. It is a calculated insult, an official attempt to strip a constitutionally recognised Indian language of its identity and portray millions of Bengali-speaking Indians as outsiders in their own country,", it said.
Maintaining that this is not a mere clerical error, Banerjee alleged, "It is yet another calculated attempt by the BJP to defame Bengal, undermine our cultural identity and equate West Bengal with Bangladesh for narrow political propaganda." He claimed that it was a direct violation of Article 343 and the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution."There is no language called Bangladeshi," he wrote on his social media handle.
"To call Bangla a foreign language is not just an insult- It’s an attack on our identity, culture and belonging. Bengalis are not outsiders in their own homeland," Banerjee claimed."This is why we call the BJP Bangla Birodhi (anti-Bengal) and zamindar. They do not respect India’s diversity. They thrive on division," the TMC national general secretary alleged.Banerjee demanded the suspension of the Delhi Police officer.
"We demand the immediate suspension of Investigating Officer Amit Dutt and a formal public apology from @DelhiPolice, @BJP4India, and the Home Ministry led by @AmitShah," he wrote.He also asserted that "Bangla and Bengalis are Indians" and "Bangla is our pride".
"We will not allow our identity to be trampled," Banerjee wrote.
Justifying the Delhi Police's action, pointing to "Bangladeshi language", BJP's West Bengal unit president Samik Bhattacharya said that there is a distinctive difference in the dialect of the Bengali language spoken and written in West Bengal with that of Bangladesh.
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