Bengali identity row sparks war of words between Bengal, Assam CMs

Mamata & Sarma clash on social media as Assam’s identity push meets Bengal’s defiance;

Update: 2025-07-19 08:56 GMT
Bengali identity row sparks war of words between Bengal, Assam CMs
A file image of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (Photo: @himantabiswa/ X)
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Guwahati, July 19: The war of words between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma intensified on Saturday, with Banerjee accusing the BJP-led Assam government of pursuing a divisive agenda centred around language, identity, and the targeting of Bengali-speaking citizens.

The political tension, which had been simmering over the issuance of a Foreigners’ Tribunal notice to a resident of West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district, spilled into the public domain as Banerjee took to social media to denounce the move.

“To threaten citizens, who want to coexist peacefully respecting all languages and religions, with persecution for upholding their own mother tongue is discriminatory and unconstitutional. This divisive agenda of the BJP in Assam has crossed all limits and the people of Assam will fight back,” Banerjee wrote.

In a swift and pointed rebuttal, Assam Chief Minister Sarma defended his government’s actions, stating they are part of Assam’s long-standing effort to curb illegal infiltration from neighbouring Bangladesh.

He accused Banerjee of turning a blind eye to cross-border encroachments and of practising appeasement politics.

“While we are acting decisively to preserve Assam’s identity, you, Didi, have compromised Bengal’s future—encouraging illegal encroachment by a particular community, appeasing one religious group for vote banks, and remaining silent as border infiltration eats away at national integrity—all just to stay in power,” Sarma wrote in a social media post.

He further stated, “No civilisation can survive without protecting its borders.”

Earlier, Banerjee had expressed solidarity with linguistic minorities, pointing out that Bengali is the second-most spoken language in both India and Assam.

“I stand with every fearless citizen defending their language, identity, and rights,” she said.

At the centre of the current dispute is the case of Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a farmer from Dinhata in Cooch Behar, who was recently served a notice by an Assam Foreigners’ Tribunal identifying him as a suspected illegal migrant.

Banerjee condemned the notice as an example of institutional overreach, alleging that such tools are being misused to target marginalised communities under the pretext of legal procedure.

The escalating exchange signals a deepening rift between the two Chief Ministers, with identity, citizenship, and linguistic rights emerging as flashpoints.

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