Migrant workers being tortured for speaking Bengali in BJP-ruled states, alleges Mamata
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged that migrant labourers were being tortured for speaking Bengali in BJP-ruled states.
Banerjee, who headed for north Bengal to attend administrative programmes, accused the BJP of "planning to incite riots in the state", as "the party realised that it would not be able to win the 2026 assembly elections".
Referring to a protest in Murshidabad's Beldanga over attacks on migrant workers outside West Bengal, she said the anger of the minority community was “legitimate”.
The protest stemmed from repeated incidents of violence against migrant workers, she said.
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“Migrant labourers from Bengal are being tortured only in BJP-ruled states. We stand by their families,” she claimed.
Locals in Murshidabad blocked National Highway 12 and burnt tyres on Friday to protest against the alleged attacks on migrant workers from the district in other states, disrupting vehicular movement on the thoroughfare, police said.
The demonstrators alleged that migrants from the district have been facing atrocities in other states for speaking Bengali.
The Beldanga protest erupted after news spread about the death of a Murshidabad native who had migrated to Jharkhand for work, an officer said.
The chief minister also hit out at the Election Commission for introducing changes in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal, claiming that "around 100 people had lost their lives due to anxiety" related to the voter list revision exercise.
"Protect dignity, impartiality of your chair, only then people will respect you," Banerjee told the chief election commissioner, amid the SIR controversy.
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Voting begins for Assam's 126 assembly seats
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Guwahati (PTI): Polling for all 126 Assam assembly constituencies began on Thursday to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates, officials said.
In the high-stakes election, the ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in office, while the Congress seeks to wrest power after being ousted in 2016.
Polling, being held in a single phase, began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. Long queues of voters were seen outside polling stations from early morning.
An electorate of 2.50 crore, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender, can exercise their franchise in 31,490 polling stations across the state.
Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
Several cabinet ministers, including the AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta, and the BPF’s Charan Boro are also in the fray.
The Congress has the highest of 99 contestants, followed by the BJP (90), AIUDF (30), NDA allies AGP (26) and BPF (11).
Opposition alliance’s Raijor Dal is contesting in 13, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in 3 and APHLC in 2. Outside the two coalitions, the AAP is contesting in 18 seats, UPPL in 18, TMC 22, JMM 16 and there are 258 independents.
The ruling NDA’s main constituents are the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) while the opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and CPI(ML).
The counting of votes is scheduled on May 4.
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