Now, Bengal minister slams Marwaris

At a time when hatred towards other communities has taken a violent turn in Maharashtra...

At a time when hatred towards other communities has taken a violent turn in Maharashtra, in West Bengal, 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.

His comment drew guarded criticism from a senior Marwari comrade. When contacted, Sarla Maheswari, a CPI(M) leader and former MP, said, “Our party has a defined policy on these issues. None of our leaders can blame a particular community like this.” However, Mollah was unfazed.

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.

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Maheshwari was not the only Marwari to take umbrage at the CPI(M) minister’s comments. “It’s a callous comment,” said Vishvambhar Newar, vice-president of All India Marwari Federation. “No one can blame a community and former CM Jyoti Basu and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattcharjee have often acknowledged the role of Marwaris in the development of West Bengal,” Newar 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.