Saturday, February 23, 2008

West Bengal CPM learning its lessons from Raj Thackrey

Seems CPM is learning its lessons well from Raj Thackrey. a CPI(M) minister and some leaders used a meeting - on the eve of International Mother Language Day - to make derogatory comments about Marwaris and Biharis. Abdur Rezzak Mollah, a senior CPI(M) minister, set the tone by proclaiming that "Meros (Marwaris) are developers and get their work done by bribing their way through". Mollah's attacks on Marwaris, and that too, using the derogatory term 'Mero', came at a programme organised by the Bhasha Chetana Samiti, a Left-backed organisation.

Imanul Haque of Bhasha Chetana Samiti and Ratan Bhattacharya of Bhasa Sanskriti Swadhikar Mancha made similar comments. Haque said, "Those who wish to stay in West Bengal must learn Bengali." Bhattacharya accused Marwaris of incessant land grabbing in the suburbs in the name of constructing factories. "Their actual plan is to build shopping malls, and the sons of Bengal are not getting jobs," Bhattacharya said, claiming that Biharis are being employed at railway stations in large numbers. "With Bengali finding no place in reservation lists, a large number of Hindi-speaking people have taken over jobs here," he said.

The Bhasha Chetana Samiti, the Bhasa Sanskriti Swadhikar Mancha and other such bodies want the Government to make it mandatory for all residents of West Bengal to know how to read, write and speak the language. They also want all work of the Government to be done in Bengali, and the language made compulsory at the primary school-level with English as an optional language.

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