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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Delhi Police for referring to Bengali as the “Bangladeshi national language” in a purported official communication. The letter, reportedly linked to an investigation under the Foreigners’ Act, was addressed to the officer-in-charge of Banga Bhawan—the state’s guest house in the national capital—requesting a translator for the so-called “Bangladeshi language”.

The TMC described the reference as a targeted insult to a constitutionally recognised language and an attempt to paint millions of Bengali-speaking Indians as outsiders. The authenticity of the letter has not yet been independently verified.

“Scandalous, Insulting, Anti-National”: Mamata Banerjee On Alleged Delhi Police Letter

Posting a copy of the letter on her official Facebook page, Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of pushing an “anti-Bengali” agenda and called on people to strongly protest the move. “See now how Delhi Police under the direct control of the Ministry of Home, Government of India, is describing Bengali as Bangladeshi language!” she wrote.

See now how Delhi police under the direct control of Ministry of Home, Government of India is describing Bengali as " Bangladeshi" language!

Bengali, our mother tongue, the language of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda, the language in which our National Anthem and the… pic.twitter.com/2ACUyehSx8

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 3, 2025

Calling the language reference “scandalous, insulting, anti-national, unconstitutional”, the Chief Minister added, “This insults all Bengali-speaking people of India. They cannot use this kind of language, which degrades and debases us all.”

Banerjee underlined that Bengali was not only her mother tongue but also the language of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. “Bengali was the language in which both India’s national anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’ by Tagore and national song ‘Vande Mataram’ by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay were written… the language in which crores of Indians speak and write, the language which is sanctified and recognised by the Constitution of India, is now described as a Bangladeshi language!!” she said.

She urged all to protest against the “anti-Constitutional” language used to humiliate Bengali-speaking citizens.

“Calculated Insult”: TMC, Abhishek Banerjee React

Earlier in the day, TMC posted a copy of the letter on its X handle, claiming that the Delhi Police officer had sought a translator for the “Bangladeshi national language” following the arrest of eight individuals suspected to have illegally crossed over from Bangladesh. The letter reportedly stated that identification documents such as birth certificates and bank records recovered from the accused were written in “Bangladeshi”, necessitating translation.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee called the development a deliberate move. “For months now, Bengali-speaking people have been targeted, harassed and detained across BJP-ruled states. Now, in a shocking escalation, @DelhiPolice has officially referred to Bangla, as a ‘Bangladeshi language’ in an official letter,” he posted on X.

Calling the move a “calculated attempt by the BJP to defame Bengal”, he stated, “To call Bangla a foreign language is not just an insult – it’s an attack on our identity, culture and belonging. Bengalis are not outsiders in their own homeland.”

Abhishek demanded the immediate suspension of Investigating Officer Amit Dutt and a public apology from the Delhi Police, BJP, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “Bangla and Bengalis are Indians and Bangla is our pride,” he added.

For months now, Bengali-speaking people have been targeted, harassed and detained across BJP-ruled states. Now, in a shocking escalation, @DelhiPolice has officially referred to Bangla, as a “Bangladeshi language” in an official letter.

This is not a mere clerical error, It is… pic.twitter.com/I87DsH6v52

— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) August 3, 2025

In a separate post, TMC stated, “Is there no limit to BJP’s hatred for Bengalis?… Make no mistake – this is not a clerical error. It is a calculated insult, an official attempt to strip a constitutionally recognised Indian language of its identity and portray millions of Bengali-speaking Indians as outsiders in their own country.”

Is there no limit to @BJP4India’s hatred for Bengalis? After repeatedly harassing and detaining Bengali-speaking workers across BJP-ruled states, @AmitShah’s @DelhiPolice has now crossed all lines by officially branding our mother tongue, Bangla, as the “Bangladeshi language”.… pic.twitter.com/snPD6eLf1w

— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) August 3, 2025

The party added, “Calling it ‘Bangladeshi’ is a deliberate affront, a vile attempt to delegitimise the language, erase its Indian roots, and brand Bengali speakers as outsiders.”

TMC also took aim at the larger political context, stating: “This is why we call the BJP Bangla Birodhi (anti-Bengal) and zamindar. They do not respect India’s diversity. They thrive on division.”

BJP Defends Delhi Police Citing Dialect, Left Condemns

West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya responded by saying the Bengali spoken in Bangladesh differs from that in West Bengal. “The police have rightly referred to the dialect spoken by the arrested persons as Bangladeshi language,” he claimed, as per news agency PTI.

CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya also strongly criticised the development. “Persecution of Bengali-speaking migrant workers as ‘suspected Bangladeshi nationals’ has now become an outright negation of India’s second-most spoken language as ’Bangladeshi language’,” he said, warning that such actions pose a threat to India’s unity.

“Never before has India’s multi-religious, multi-lingual mosaic faced such a bulldozer of stupid majoritarian arrogance and parochialism. Fascism is a threat to not just democracy and diversity but also India’s national unity,” he added, as quoted by PTI.