Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched a sharp political attack on his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, urging her to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state if she truly cares for Bengalis. The comment follows Banerjee’s recent protest in Kolkata against alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states.
Speaking to the media, Sarma claimed that Bengali Hindus in Assam are well-protected and integrated within Assamese society. “Bengali Hindus in Assam are not only safeguarded but also part of the broader Assamese cultural landscape. They continue their language and religious practices without fear,” he said.
In a direct challenge to Banerjee, Sarma questioned her motives and asked, “If you are genuinely interested in protecting Bengalis, why don’t you implement CAA in West Bengal?” He further alleged that Banerjee shows selective concern, implying she only advocates for Muslim Bengalis.
The Assam CM’s comments have reignited the debate over the CAA, a controversial law passed in 2019 that seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 2014. While the law has been implemented in several BJP-ruled states, the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government has remained staunchly opposed to it.
Taking his attack to social media, Sarma shared a video clip and reiterated, “Bengali Hindus are safe in Assam, but TMC is only concerned about Bengali Muslims. If they truly cared about Bengali Hindus, why oppose the CAA?”
This war of words comes shortly after Mamata Banerjee led a street protest in Kolkata on Thursday, where she accused the BJP governments of treating Bengali migrants unfairly. “They are calling them Rohingya. Rohingyas are in Myanmar, not here,” she said, alleging that poor Bengali-speaking migrant workers were being detained and targeted under false pretenses.
She also appealed to migrant workers to return to Bengal, promising them safety and dignity in their home state. “BJP is sending Bengali speakers to detention camps. Is West Bengal not part of India?” she questioned during the protest, highlighting the contributions of Bengalis to India’s freedom movement.
The CAA issue continues to polarize political discourse across states, with both BJP and opposition leaders using it as a key electoral and ideological battleground.