The West Bengal government will make the use of Bengali mandatory in official communications across state departments from September 1, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced in the Assembly on Monday. The move is aimed at expanding the use of the regional language in government administration and official correspondence. Adhikari said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had written to him urging steps to promote wider use of Bengali at every level of state administration.

According to the Chief Minister, the directive aligns with efforts to give greater importance to Indian languages in governance and public life. "From September 1, 2026, use of the Bengali language will be mandatory at every level of the state government," Adhikari said while addressing the Assembly. He added that all official communications from the state government would be conducted in Bengali after the implementation of the new rule.

The Chief Minister further said that communications with the central government and other states would also include Bengali. However, he clarified that correspondence with the Union government would be conducted in both Bengali and Hindi. Adhikari also mentioned that during Amit Shah's three-day visit to West Bengal, the Union Home Minister had sent him a letter written in Bengali. He said the letter reflected the importance being given to Indian languages in official functioning.

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According to Adhikari, Shah referred to the views of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, who believed that Indian languages should have an important role in administration, education and public life. The announcement comes amid continued discussions across India about the use of regional languages in government offices, education and public services. Several states have introduced measures to increase the use of local languages in official communication to improve accessibility for citizens.

Bengali is one of India's constitutionally recognised languages and is widely spoken across West Bengal and other parts of the country. The state government's decision is expected to impact communication practices across departments, government offices and administrative institutions. The implementation process will require departments to adapt documentation, drafting procedures and internal communication systems to ensure compliance with the new language requirement. Officials are expected to issue further guidelines regarding the transition before the September deadline.

The announcement is likely to generate discussion among political parties, administrative officials and language advocates, with views expected to differ on the role of regional languages in governance. For now, the West Bengal government has set September 1 as the date from which Bengali will become compulsory in state-level official communication, marking a significant policy shift in the administration's language framework.

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