Learn to speak Bengali to stay in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

Kanchrapara (West Bengal): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday fired a fresh salvo at “outsiders” saying those who are living in Bengal will have to learn to speak in Bengali.

“We have to bring ‘Bangla’ forward. When I go to Bihar, UP, Punjab, I speak in their language, if you stay in Bengal you have to learn to speak Bangla. After that you speak in Hindi or English, I do not care. But one should also learn Bengali,” Banerjee said at a public rally in North 24 Parganas district’s Kanchrapara, inhabited by a large number of Hindi-speaking people.

“Staying in Bengal and intimidating Bengalis by roaming around in bikes and resorting to hooliganism, will not be tolerated. I want to know why the houses of minority community, Bengalis are under attack. If you think that you will live in peace while torturing and intimidating our Bengali brothers and sisters, you are mistaken. People will not spare you,” she warned.

The Trinamool Congress supremo also flayed the police for not taking strict action against the hooligans who allegedly tore her party flags and banners in the area on Thursday night and instructed the officers to arrest them within three days.

“I will urge the police to take strict action in such cases. I do not know why police do not do anything. Where will the people go if police do not do their duty,” she said.

“How could some people damage all our party flags last night? Who are these people? Find them from wherever you can and arrest them within three days,” Banerjee said.

Kanchrapara, which falls under the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency, has been on the boil since the saffron party managed to snatch away the seat from the Trinamool Congress in the 2019 polls.

Several incidents of clashes and political murders were reported in the area and adjoining Naihati since the poll results were announced on May 23.

Taking a veiled swipe at Bengal BJP leader Mukul Roy, who had defected from the Trinamool Congress, Banerjee said “those who were small railway contractors once are now going to Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore every now and then”.

Roy is a resident of Kanchrapara area.

Banerjee also accused the CPI-M supporters of shifting their votes to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“The CPI-M who once bought off the Congress and forced us to form Trinamool Congress, today they have transferred their votes to the BJP. They have handed over their signboard to the BJP. But remember, Trinamool’s signboard is very strong. It cannot be bought off so easily,” she added.

Published on: June 14, 2019 at 18:13 IST

IANS