Marking a high-pitched political turn ahead of next year’s Assembly elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday turned the stage of Trinamool’s Martyrs’ Day rally into the launchpad for a statewide 'language movement', accusing the Centre and BJP-led states of conspiring against Bengali-speaking people.
Standing before a massive crowd at Kolkata’s Esplanade, Mamata declared that her party will begin a movement to defend the dignity of the Bengali language starting July 27 — the anniversary of Nanoor Day — and continue it until the Assembly election results are declared in 2026.
Marking a high-pitched political turn ahead of next year’s Assembly elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday turned the stage of Martyrs’ Day rally into the launchpad for a statewide 'language movement', accusing the Centre and BJP-led states of conspiring against Bengali-speaking people.
Standing before a massive crowd at Kolkata’s Esplanade, Mamata declared that her party will begin a movement to defend the dignity of the Bengali language starting July 27 — the anniversary of Nanoor Day — and continue it until the Assembly election results are declared in 2026.
By announcing a language movement, political observers find Mamata clearly signalling that her party will anchor its 2026 Assembly election campaign on Bengali mother-tongue sentiment and linguistic pride, positioning it as a central poll plank and a key strategy to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal.
Mamata minced no words in her speech, alleging that Bengali-speaking people are being harassed, jailed and even deported in BJP-ruled states under the guise of NRC notices and circulars from the Centre.
“A conspiracy is going on to drive Bengalis out of other states, to jail them on mere suspicion and push them into Bangladesh,” she said, adding, “This is an attack not just on people, but on the language of Rabindranath, Nazrul and Bankim Chandra. We will not tolerate it.”
She further claimed that the central government is trying to dictate what people should eat, targeting Bengali food habits like fish, meat and eggs. “Shops are being vandalised. Try doing this here in Bengal, I challenge you,” she warned.
The Chief Minister announced that processions and meetings will be held across Bengal every Saturday and Sunday starting July 27 as part of the language movement. “We will speak more Bengali. We will fight more. If needed, we will take this fight to Delhi,” she thundered.
Mamata declared that this battle to protect the Bengali identity will not end until the 2026 election results are out. “If even a single name is dropped from Bengal’s voter list, the Election Commission office will be surrounded. After winning Bengal again, we will launch the fight to capture Delhi.”
Citing recent central circulars and NRC-related cases, Mamata claimed that over 1,000 people from Bengal have already been deported. She brought Uttam Kumar Brajbasi from Cooch Behar, who recently received an NRC notice, on stage as a living example of the alleged harassment.
She dismissed the BJP’s claim of 17 lakh Rohingyas living in Bengal as “baseless propaganda.”
“The UN itself said there are 10 lakh Rohingyas worldwide. Even if that has increased, how can there be 17 lakh in Bengal alone? Lies are being peddled to incite fear and hatred,” Mamata said.
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Appealing directly to party workers and supporters, Mamata declared: “I am ready to give my life for our mother tongue. We love all languages, but we won’t allow anyone to suppress ours. Speak Bengali proudly and loudly.”
With only eight months left before the state goes to polls, Mamata also unveiled a verbal “report card” of her government from the rally stage, although no official document was distributed.
Key claims from her address include 94 welfare schemes currently running under the state government, unemployment rate reduced by 40 per cent, two crore people lifted above the poverty line and free ration to 9 crore people through the Khadyasathi scheme.
Mamata took aim at the Centre for allegedly withholding funds meant for Bengal under the 100 Days Work Scheme, further fuelling the emotional and political tone of her speech.
Ending her speech with a battle cry, Mamata said, “This Bengal led India’s renaissance and freedom struggle. I will not let this soil fall into the hands of miscreants. If anyone is arrested for speaking Bengali, the fight will shift to Delhi.”
As the Trinamool prepares to ride on linguistic pride and regional identity, the July 21 rally has set the tone for the coming political battle — one that Mamata clearly intends to fight with language, legacy and emotion at its core.
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