Left leaders slam attacks on Bengali migrant workers

Left parties launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it and its ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of orchestrating violence against Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states.

At a Left Front meeting in Kolkata, senior leaders condemned recent assaults on Bengali labourers, calling them “barbaric and politically motivated.” They also alleged that the violence is part of a larger RSS-backed conspiracy to fracture India’s pluralistic society and spread fear among linguistic minorities. “RSS-BJP are targeting poor people under the guise of nationalism. This is a dangerous trait of emerging neo-fascism in the country,” said Left Front chairman Biman Bose. He urged for cross-community unity against what he termed a rising tide of hate politics. Mr Bose also accused West Bengal’s ruling Trinamul Congress (TMC) of tacitly enabling the BJP’s agenda despite its public protests.

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“Though TMC claims to oppose the BJP, its actions reveal it to be functioning like another agent of the ruling regime,” he said. The event, organised in memory of veteran CPI leader Nripen Bandyopadhyay, brought together prominent leaders from CPI-M, CPI, RSP and other Left constituents. Meanwhile, CPI-M held a protest march from Ruby Crossing to Gariahat in Kolkata on Monday evening, denouncing attacks on Bengali migrants. The CPI-M state secretary Mohammad Salim, CPI state secretary Swapan Bandyopadhyay, and leaders such as Kanti Ganguly and Shamik Bandyopadhyay were among those present. “Unless the Left unites, defeating forces like BJP will remain impossible,” said Swapan Bandyopadhyay, acknowledging the challenge of bringing all Left parties under one platform.

The demonstration followed TMC’s statewide campaign launched over the weekend, which included a protest rally led by chief minister Mamata Banerjee from Bolpur earlier in the day.

The TMC’s earlier and more extensive mobilisation raised internal questions within the CPI-M about the timing and perceived delay of its own response. “Why such a late awakening?” asked a mid-level cadre during the rally. Despite the criticism, the Left leaders reiterated their commitment to building a broader secular front against BJP-RSS politics. “The RSS wants to dismantle our inclusive society,” Biman Bose told reporters. “Only a united Left can stop this assault.”