Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor and West Bengal Higher Secondary Education Association President Chiranjib Bhattacharjee has spoken strongly against what he described as increasing linguistic and cultural attacks on Bengalis.
On Thursday, the mass organisation Bangla Ekta Mancha held a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and a large convention at the Moulali Youth Centre to protest these alleged attacks. Although Chiranjib Bhattacharjee was not present physically, he was the first speaker of the programme. In his speech, he said, “Bengal is being attacked in various ways. We have to resist them!”
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Later in the day, the organisation’s convener and Trinamool leader Tanmoy Ghosh raised the slogan “vote out BJP,” making the political message of the platform clear.
In his address, Chiranjib Bhattacharjee spoke about Bengal’s long history of cultural resistance. He recalled how Jadavpur University was born from the anti-British education movement and highlighted the sacrifices made during the 1952 Language Movement in Bangladesh. “People gave their lives for the Bengali language. Because of that sacrifice, the entire world observes 21 February as International Mother Language Day. It is a matter of great pride for us,” he said.
He added that in many countries—from Germany to Russia to France—people work hard to preserve their mother tongue, and Bengalis must do the same.
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The convention also discussed alleged attacks on Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states, detentions on suspicion of being Bangladeshis, and pushbacks across the Bangladesh border. Human rights activist Sujata Bhadra and lawyer Anirban Bandyopadhyay spoke against these issues. Members of the Matua, Namashudra, and minority communities were present as well.
Political analysts noted that such platforms usually feature activists and social workers. But the presence of the Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor at a convention openly opposing the BJP has drawn particular attention.
Tanmoy Ghosh said, “In January 2021, we raised the slogan ‘No Vote to BJP’, which spread across the country. This time, our slogan is ‘vote out BJP’. The BJP wants to make Bengalis foreigners in their own country and send them to detention camps.”
