West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday afternoon led a protest in Kolkata against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states, reports Hindustan Times.
Senior leaders of the party, including Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, also joined Mamata Banerjee as she took to the streets along with thousands of people. The march began from College Square in central Kolkata around 1.45pm and will terminate at Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala, news agency PTI reported.
Addressing a massive public gathering during the protest march, Mamata Banerjee said, 鈥楾he BJP calls all Bengali-speaking people Bangladeshi Rohingyas. Rohingyas live in Myanmar. Here, all citizens of West Bengal have proper ID cards and identification.
The labourers who have gone outside Bengal have not gone on their own. They have been employed because they have skills. Anyone who speaks Bengali is being arrested and put behind bars. Why? Is West Bengal not a part of India?鈥�
The nearly 3-km-long route was wrapped in security, with nearly 1,500 police personnel guarding the barricaded pavements and adjacent buildings.
