West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged that migrant workers from the state were being tortured in BJP-ruled states simply for speaking Bengali. She claimed that such incidents were creating fear and distress among families back home in Bengal.
Speaking before leaving for North Bengal to attend administrative programmes, Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to create unrest in West Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. She said the party knew it would not come to power through elections and was therefore attempting to provoke tension. “The BJP is planning to incite riots in the state because it has realised that it will not be able to win the 2026 elections,” she alleged.
Referring to recent protests in Murshidabad’s Beldanga area, the chief minister said the anger among people, especially from the minority community, was justified. She said the protests were triggered by repeated reports of attacks on migrant workers from West Bengal in other states. “The anger of the minority community is legitimate. Migrant labourers from Bengal are being tortured only in BJP ruled states. We stand by their families,” Banerjee said.
On Friday, residents of Beldanga blocked National Highway 12 and set tyres on fire to protest against the alleged attacks on migrant workers from the district. The demonstration disrupted traffic movement for several hours, police said. Protesters claimed that workers from Murshidabad were being targeted outside the state because they speak Bengali.
According to the police, the protest intensified after news spread about the death of a migrant worker from Murshidabad who had gone to Jharkhand for work. Locals alleged that the incident was part of a larger pattern of violence against Bengali speaking labourers.
Mamata Banerjee also criticised the Election Commission over changes made during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal. She claimed that the exercise had caused widespread anxiety among voters. “Around 100 people have lost their lives due to anxiety related to the voter list revision,” she alleged.
Addressing the chief election commissioner, Banerjee said, “Protect the dignity and impartiality of your chair. Only then will people respect you.”
The remarks come amid rising political tension in West Bengal over migrant worker safety and the voter list revision process, with the state government and the BJP locked in a sharp war of words.
