Bangla referred to as a ‘Bangladeshi language’: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) vs Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) face-off has taken an ugly turn after a letter from Delhi Police referred to Bangla as the “Bangladeshi language.” Sent to Banga Bhawan in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri, the letter sparked outrage across West Bengal, with the Trinamool Congress accusing the Centre of insulting a constitutionally recognised Indian language.
Bangla, spoken by millions and one of India’s 22 official languages, was allegedly mischaracterised in a case involving suspected illegal immigrants. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the language used in the letter as “scandalous” and “anti-national”, calling it an attempt to delegitimise Bengali identity.
The BJP, however, hit back, alleging that TMC was defending illegal Bangladeshi settlers. The row comes at a time when reports have emerged of Bengali-speaking migrants being harassed in BJP-ruled states on suspicion of being Bangladeshis. Critics across the political spectrum have slammed Delhi Police’s “ignorance” and called for corrective action and accountability.
The letter, dated 24 July and issued by Inspector Amit Dutt of Lodhi Colony Police Station, sought assistance in translating documents allegedly recovered from eight people suspected to be illegal Bangladeshi nationals. It described the seized material as written in the “Bangladeshi national language” and requested an interpreter proficient in it.
While the Delhi Police has yet to issue an official clarification, senior officers confirmed the letter was indeed sent to Banga Bhawan, West Bengal’s official guesthouse in Delhi.
Letter that sparked outrage
“Upon inquiry, copies of national ID cards, birth certificates, bank account details etc. were found from these suspected Bangladeshi nationals. The suspected Bangladeshi nationals were arrested and remanded in judicial custody on the order of the honourable court concerned,” the letter stated.
Inspector Dutt, the Investigating Officer, wrote in the letter that the identification documents contain texts written in “Bangladeshi” and need to be translated to Hindi and English. “Now, for the investigation to proceed further, it is requested that an official translator/interpreter proficient in Bangladeshi national language may kindly be provided for the aforesaid purpose,” the letter said.
“Emphasis is laid on the fact that the requisite report would be a pivotal piece of evidence for successful prosecution of suspected Bangladeshi nationals facing trial. Expeditious disposal of this letter is desired as the same is required to be submitted before the honourable court in a timed manner. Any bills raised against the translation service shall be payable by the department and a quotation for the same may be communicated beforehand,” Dutt added.
Although senior police officers confirmed that the letter was sent to Banga Bhawan, an official response from Delhi Police is awaited.
TMC condemns ‘insult to Bengali identity’
Targeting the Centre and the BJP, the TMC, which posted the letter on its X handle, said in a post: “Is there no limit to @BJP4India’s hatred for Bengalis? After repeatedly harassing and detaining Bengali-speaking workers across BJP-ruled states, @AmitShah’s @DelhiPolice has now crossed all lines by officially branding our mother tongue, Bangla, as the ‘Bangladeshi language’. Make no mistake, this is not a clerical error. It is a calculated insult, an official attempt to strip a constitutionally recognised Indian language of its identity and portray millions of Bengali-speaking Indians as outsiders in their own country.”
“Bangla is spoken by over 25 crore people globally and recognised as one of India’s 22 official languages. Calling it ‘Bangladeshi’ is a deliberate affront, a vile attempt to delegitimise the language, erase its Indian roots, and brand Bengali speakers as outsiders,” it said, and demanded an “unconditional apology, immediate correction, and strict action against the officials responsible”.
In a post on X, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said: “See how Delhi Police, under the direct control of Ministry of Home, Government of India is describing Bengali as ‘Bangladeshi’ language! Bengali, our mother tongue, the language of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda, the language in which our National Anthem and the National Song (the latter by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) are written, the language in which crores of Indians speak and write, the language which is sanctified and recognised by the Constitution of India, is now described as a Bangladeshi language!! Scandalous, insulting, anti-national, unconstitutional!! This insults all Bangla-speaking people of India.”
“We urge immediate strongest possible protests from all against the anti-Bengali Government of India who are using such anti-Constitutional language to insult and humiliate the Bengali-speaking people of India.”
BJP says ‘TMC shielding Bangladeshis’
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee called it a “calculated attempt by the BJP to defame Bengal, undermine our cultural identity and equate West Bengal with Bangladesh for narrow political propaganda”. “This is a direct violation of Article 343 and the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution,” he said in a post on X. “There is no language called ‘Bangladeshi’. To call Bangla a foreign language is not just an insult it’s an attack on our identity, culture and belonging.”
Hitting back at the TMC, the BJP said in a post on X, “Delhi Police apprehended 8 illegal Bangladeshi nationals and referred to their spoken tongue as the ‘Bangladeshi language’. Now TMC is outrageously claiming this is an ‘insult to our language’. But here’s the irony, their entire outrage is rooted in defending Bangladeshis. What does that have to do with India or Indian Bengalis?”
“Let’s get this straight for TMC, a heavily Urdu-influenced dialect spoken by illegal migrants is now the real Bengali language? Is this what TMC politics has come to defending foreign nationals while eroding Indian identity?”
State BJP president Shamik Bhattacharya said he saw no mistake on part of Delhi Police in the letter. “The language is absolutely correct. You bring a book from Bangladesh and read it and read any book from West Bengal. After reading the two books, you will understand which one is written by Subodh Sarkar and which one is written by some Shafiqul Islam from Bangladesh,” he said.
“So if someone speaks Bangla, he doesn’t become an Indian, it is not like his/her name will have to be included in the voter list if he speaks Bangla, such things will not work anymore. In a pre-planned manner with fake Aadhaar cards these people have entered Banga Bhawan too.”
TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s post on X reads, “After illegally hounding & detaining Bengali speakers in BJP-ruled states today @DelhiPolice calls Bangla a ‘Bangladeshi language’. How dare you delegitimise our mother tongue, one of 22 official & one of 11 classical languages? Apologise, take corrective action ASAP.”
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque says, “Referring to Bangla as a ‘Bangladeshi language’ is not a clerical lapse but a calculated move to otherise Bengalis. Bangla is recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. This insult must be condemned and corrected.”
Social media reacts
An X user condemning BJP-ruled state’s action against Bengali-speaking people, wrote: “Not everyone who speaks Bangla is Bangladeshi, India has a state called West Bengal where Bengali (Bangla) is also spoken. Although the people there speak Bangla, they are Indian citizens, not Bangladeshis. However the Indian government has recently been targeting Bengali-speaking individuals, labelling them as ‘illegal Bangladeshis’ and pushing them towards Bangladeshi border. Bangladesh already has a humanitarian camp for Rohingya people. Do not need another one. Stop letting Illegal Indians enter Bangladesh.”