Bengal BJP keen to project itself as pro Bengali

The Bengal BJP leadership has decided to hold state-wide programs celebrating the Bengali language. The development comes at a time when the state leadership is in a spot following Home Minister Amit Shah’s comment on the Hindi language.

According to BJP sources, the state leadership is apprehensive that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will use Shah’s comment to label BJP as an “anti-Bengali” party.

BJP sources revealed that the programs celebrating Bengali language will revolve around the party’s “March to Daaribhit” program on September 20. A college student was allegedly killed in police firing at Daribhit in North Dinajpur district last year, during an agitation over the appointment of teachers for the Bengali language.

“We were thinking of the program at Daribhit earlier. But now it will be significantly scaled up following the Home Minister’s comments which may be misused by TMC to corner us,” a senior state BJP leader said. The state BJP leadership has decided to observe September 20 as the ‘Day of Sacrifice for Bengali Language.'”

ABVP has also decided to throw its weight behind the program and will observe September 20 as ‘West Bengal Mother Tongue Day’ across several colleges in the state.

ABVP will also hold a seminar on Bengali language which will be attended by state BJP president Dilip Ghosh and several Bengali academics close to the RSS.

BJP sources revealed that the state leadership wants to blunt TMC’s allegation of being “anti-Bengali” by upholding the saffron party as a champion of the Bengali language and sentiment. “ We want to achieve this objective by organising agitations in demand of adequate teachers of Bengali language in schools,” the state BJP leader said.

State BJP vice president Sayantan Basu said that after coming to power in West Bengal his party will ensure that the Bengali language gets the respect it deserves.