Himanta Sarma vs Mamata Banerjee On Mother Tongue And Demographics

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today launched a fresh attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, claiming the BJP-led Assam government is threatening citizens who want to coexist by respecting all languages.

"The second most spoken language in the country, Bangla, is also the second most spoken language of Assam. To threaten citizens who want to coexist peacefully respecting all languages and religions with persecution for upholding their own mother tongue is discriminatory and unconstitutional," Ms Banerjee said in a post on X.

"This divisive agenda of the BJP in Assam has crossed all limits and people of Assam will fight back," she added.

Responding to her, Mr Sarma said the Bengal chief minister started the war of words first.

"In Assam, we are not fighting our own people. We are fearlessly resisting the ongoing, unchecked Muslim infiltration from across the border, which has already caused an alarming demographic shift," Mr Sarma said.

"In several districts, Hindus are now on the verge of becoming a minority in their own land. Even the Supreme Court termed such infiltration as external aggression. And yet, when we rise to defend our land, culture, and identity, you choose to politicise it," Mr Sarma said.

He reminded the Bengal chief minister that the Assam government does not divide people by language or religion.

"Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Hindi - all languages and communities - have coexisted in Assam, but no civilisation can survive if it refuses to protect its borders and its cultural foundation," Mr Sarma added.

"While we are acting decisively to preserve Assam's identity, you, Didi, have compromised Bengal's future, encouraging illegal encroachment by a particular community, appeasing one religious community for vote bank, and remaining silent as border infiltration eats away at national integrity, all just to stay in power," Mr Sarma said.