West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ignited a statewide uproar on Monday, launching the ‘Bhasha Andolan’ (Language Movement) from Bolpur. In a blazing speech, she accused the BJP of plotting to wipe out Bengali identity, pledging to resist the National Register of Citizens (NRC), shield migrants, and halt what she branded as "linguistic terror."

Banerjee didn’t mince words, alleging the BJP-led Centre and the Election Commission were sneaking the NRC in "through the backdoor" by targeting Bengali-speaking migrants and purging legitimate voters from electoral rolls. "I will give up my life but won’t let anyone snatch my language," she thundered, launching the movement from the iconic land of Rabindranath Tagore.

Leading a charged rally of TMC supporters and returning Bengali migrants, Banerjee marched three kilometers from Tourist Lodge Crossing to Jamboni bus stand, flanked by ministers and party leaders. Waving Tagore’s portrait, she warned, "We’ll stop this conspiracy to jeopardize our existence with linguistic terror and backdoor NRC tactics."

Also Read: Mamata Banerjee Vows to Shield Persecuted Bengali Migrants

"I won’t let NRC take root in Bengal as long as I breathe," she declared. "No detention camps here. Try erasing names from our rolls—our mothers, sisters, and cultural groups will rise, and you’ll face the music!"

Draped in her signature white sari and a Visva-Bharati uttariya, Banerjee struck an emotional chord, urging Bengalis to cling to their Asmita (pride), mother tongue, and motherland. "Forget everything else, but never your roots. Bengal fueled Independence— it can fight for its survival," she said.

She called out to persecuted Bengali migrants: "Come back. We’ve got schemes to settle you, secure jobs, and school your kids—full support from police and administration." Taking a swipe at PM Narendra Modi, she jabbed, "You hug Arab sheikhs without asking their religion—did you quiz the Maldives President before gifting Rs 5,000 crore while starving Bengal of funds?"

Banerjee highlighted Bengali’s global rank—fifth-most spoken language worldwide, second in Asia—questioning the "hatred" against Bengalis. "We shelter 1.5 crore workers from other states—why can’t you accept 22 lakh Bengali migrants?"

The Bolpur march pulsed with symbolism, as Banerjee invoked Bengal’s legends—Swami Vivekananda, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and more—to underline its role in shaping India. "I reject a nation that butchers a migrant for speaking Bengali," she said, her words resonating with the cheering crowd.

Also Read: Mamata Honors Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay on Birth Anniversary