Assam govt cracks down on illegal encroachment, ‘rattled’ Mamata Banerjee claims persecution of Bengalis, Himanta Biswa Sarma slams appeasement politics of TMC supremo
On Saturday (19th June), a war of words ensued between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the latter’s crackdown on illegal encroachment in his State.
For the unversed, the Himanta government is actively carrying out anti-encroachment drives in Assam to remove squatters from government-owned land.
This includes freeing large forests and village grazing areas, which have been illegally occupied by encroachers (many of whom are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh).
In a tweet on Saturday (19th June), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee falsely claimed that the anti-encroachment drive was aimed at Bengali population.
“The second most spoken language in the country, Bangla, is also the second most spoken language of Assam. To threaten citizens, who want to coexist peacefully respecting all languages and religions, with persecution for upholding their own mother tongue is discriminatory and unconstitutional,” she claimed.
“This divisive agenda of the BJP in Assam has crossed all limits and people of Assam will fight back. I stand with every fearless citizen who is fighting for the dignity of their language and identity, and their democratic rights,” Mamata Banerjee further added.
Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Vidhan Sabha elections, Mamata Banerjee is eyeing to consolidate the Bengali Hindu vote bank in the State by presenting the TMC government as the ‘messiah’ of Bengalis living across the country.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lashed out at Mamata Banerjee for misleading people and conflating action against illegal encroachment as action against Bengalis.
“Didi, let me remind you— In Assam, we are not fighting our own people. We are fearlessly resisting the ongoing, unchecked Muslim infiltration from across the border, which has already caused an alarming demographic shift,” he highlighted the menace of illegal immigration.
“And yet, when we rise to defend our land, culture, and identity, you choose to politicise it. We do not divide people by language or religion. Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Hindi—all languages and communities have coexisted here. But no civilisation can survive if it refuses to protect its borders and its cultural foundation,” he added.
“While we are acting decisively to preserve Assam’s identity, you, Didi, have compromised Bengal’s future—encouraging illegal encroachment by a particular community ,appeasing one religious community for vote banks, and remaining silent as border infiltration eats away at national integrity—all just to stay in power. Assam will continue to fight to preserve its heritage, its dignity, and its people—with courage and constitutional clarity,” Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasised.
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