TMC, BJP in fresh face-off over detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Odisha

Kolkata: The TMC on Friday accused the BJP of spreading lies and criminalising poverty over the detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Odisha, while the saffron party charged the Mamata Banerjee dispensation with providing shelters to illegal immigrants.

The political slugfest escalated after TMC MP and Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board chairman Samirul Islam launched a stinging counterattack on BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, branding him the “falsehood master”. The TMC MP demanded proof for Malviya's claims that 335 out of 444 detained migrants in Odisha possessed fake documents allegedly issued by the West Bengal government.

Hitting back at BJP’s Malviya, Islam accused him of peddling “fake claims” after suffering a setback in the Calcutta High Court.

Responding to Malviya’s allegation, Islam questioned why the BJP-ruled Odisha government released most detainees if they were indeed Bangladeshis.

He demanded proof that the detainees were foreigners and asked whether such documents were ever placed before a court or whether any deportation had legally taken place.

“Even the BSF admitted that it was their fault to deport seven innocent Bengalis illegally,” he said, alleging that rejecting identity documents issued in Bengal reveals an “anti-Bengali” bias within the BJP.

Islam further alleged that Malviya didn’t even understand that Aadhaar and voter identity cards are documents issued by the central government, not by the state.

“You are asking other states to reject documents issued by Bengal. This clearly shows how anti-Bengali and prejudiced you are. Is Aadhaar or EPIC (voter ID) issued by state governments? The most uncouth leader should at least know which documents are issued by your bosses in Delhi,” the TMC MP claimed.

While reiterating that the TMC has no objection to legal action against infiltrators if any exist, he questioned "how BSF allowed alleged illegal migrants to cross the border in the first place".

Detaining and targeting poor Bengali-speaking workers was "not just unconstitutional but a crime", he said.

“We have no problem if actions are taken against those infiltrators, if any. Now you should ask @AmitShah how BSF allowed them to cross the border. However, hounding, detaining and putting Bengali-speaking poor people from West Bengal in detention centres is illegal, unconstitutional, and a crime," the TMC MP said.

He further said, “After Odisha, now today, while hearing the habeas corpus petitions, the Delhi government faces questions from the Calcutta High Court over the deportation of six persons, including a minor, to Bangladesh. Not just about undemocratic or unlawful detention—this time the court seeks to know under which law and for what reason six people from Birbhum's Murarai, including a child, were pushed back to Bangladesh.” The Calcutta High Court has issued a strict directive to the Union Home Secretary in Delhi to respond to this matter within Wednesday, he said.

"A reply has been sought from Delhi by Wednesday, when the court will hear the petitions again. Our battle for rights of Bengali-speaking migrant workers under leadership @MamataOfficial will continue until the atrocities on them come to an end," Islam said.

Malviya, in turn, accused the TMC of aiding "demographic infiltration and compromising national security" by facilitating fake documents for Bangladeshi migrants.

“444 suspected illegal migrants detained in Odisha. Loudmouth TMC MP Mahua Moitra jumped in, claiming ‘innocent Bengalis’ were being harassed. But guess what? 335 out of 444 had fake documents - issued by none other than the TMC government in West Bengal.

"TMC is flooding India with Bangladeshi infiltrators, who work in other states but return to Bengal just to vote for Mamata Banerjee. Every state must be extremely cautious while hiring labour or employees carrying fake Bengal-issued documents. This is not just a demographic threat, it’s a national security concern,” Malviya wrote on X.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Wednesday condemned what she called the “forced eviction” and “systematic harassment” of Bengali-speaking residents in Delhi’s Jai Hind Colony, Vasant Kunj.

In a strongly worded Facebook post, Banerjee said she was “deeply disturbed” by reports that the water supply was cut off, electricity meters seized, and private water tankers blocked by the Delhi Police and RAF, leaving hundreds of poor migrants without basic facilities.

“These are people who build your cities. Instead of giving them dignity, the BJP is weaponising police and agencies to drive them out like criminals. This is a war on the working class and on Bengalis,” a senior TMC leader said.

With the TMC vowing to continue its agitation and legal fight, and the BJP hardening its stance on what it calls “illegal immigration under political patronage,” the issue is fast becoming a volatile flashpoint in the run-up to the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.