Bengali language, identity paramount to BJP, says PM Modi

Modi accuses Trinamool Congress of encouraging infiltration, which poses a threat not only to India but also to the culture of West Bengal

Emphasising that Bengali language and identity are paramount to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (July 18, 2025) said infiltrators in the country would be dealt with as per law.

Mr. Modi’s remarks at a public meeting at Durgapur come amidst several reports of targeting of migrants from West Bengal in different BJP-ruled States. The Trinamool Congress leadership, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, threatened protests over the issue, stating that it was an attack on Bengali language and identity.

“For the BJP, Bengali ‘ashmita’ [identity and pride] is paramount. Wherever there is a BJP government, Bengalis are respected, Bengali language is respected....We will not allow this conspiracy against Bengali ‘ashmita’ to succeed. The BJP is the only party that truly respects it,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr. Modi said both the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties supported the Congress government at the Centre, but it was the BJP government which gave the status of classical language to Bengali.

Accusing the Trinamool Congress of encouraging infiltration, the Prime Minister said an ‘ecosystem’ of promoting infiltration was being encouraged by the State’s ruling party, which posed a threat not only to India but also to the culture of West Bengal.

“I want to make it clear from Durgapur, whoever is not a citizen of India and has infiltrated into the country will be dealt with as per law according to the Constitution of India,” Mr. Modi said.

‘Atrocities on women’

Targeting the Trinamool Congress government on several counts — from lack of investments to atrocities on women and the school recruitment scam, the Prime Minister said things would change only if the BJP was voted to power in the State. Elections to the West Bengal Assembly are scheduled in 2026. 

“The youth of West Bengal are forced to migrate, and even for menial work they have to go to different States. Earlier, Durgapur, Bardhaman and Asansol were fuelling the industrial growth, but today the industries which are remaining are also getting closed,” Mr. Modi said.

The Prime Minister claimed that the ‘syndicates’ and ‘goonda tax’ were deterring investment in West Bengal. “Over the past decades, the situation in this region has become increasingly unfavourable for investment and employment. Frequent incidents of violence, biased policing, and a lack of faith in the justice system create an environment where no one feels confident about investing,” Mr. Modi said.

School recruitment scam

The Prime Minister also touched on the school recruitment scam and said even the courts had described it as ‘organised fraud’. 

“Whether it is primary or higher education, the TMC government has handed Bengal’s education system to crime and corruption. Not only has it left thousands of qualified teachers unemployed, but the future of lakhs of children hangs in balance due to a shortage of teachers,” he said.

During the day, the Prime Minister inaugurated and dedicated to the nation development projects worth over ₹5,400 crore in Durgapur, which included City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects in Bankura and Purulia district worth around ₹1,950 crore. Mr. Modi also dedicated to the nation Durgapur to Kolkata section (132 km) of Durgapur-Haldia Natural Gas Pipeline, worth ₹1,190 crore 

The public rally at Durgapur in south Bengal comes 50 days after the Prime Minister addressed a similar rally at Alipurduar in north Bengal. The Trinamool Congress leadership, before Mr. Modi’s rally, had urged the Prime Minister to speak in Bengali so that migrant workers from the State working in other parts of the country were not targeted. Mr. Modi did use certain phrases of Bengali in his 40-minute speech.

“The Prime Minister speaks so much about Bengal like he has so much love, whereas Bengali-speaking people are being insulted in double-engine government States. He never spoke up against it. The Prime Minister spoke in Bengali because he is feeling the pressure,” senior Trinamool Congress leader and Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said.

PM Modi unveils development projects in Bengal

PM Modi launched a slew of development projects worth ₹5,400 crore in West Bengal, unveiling major initiatives across the oil and gas, power, rail and road sectors aimed at boosting infrastructure, connectivity and clean energy in the region.

He said the world today is discussing India’s resolve to become a developed nation, and the ongoing transformation of the country's infrastructure is a key pillar of that vision.

“Today, the entire world is discussing the resolve for a developed India. Behind this, there are changes visible in India, on which the edifice of a developed India is being built. A major aspect of these changes is India’s infrastructure,” the Prime Minister said.

Reiterating his government’s vision of ‘One Nation, One Gas Grid’, Modi said the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project was conceptualised to ensure equitable energy access and spur industrial growth across eastern India.

As part of the day's events, the PM laid the foundation stone for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (BPCL) ₹1,950-crore City Gas Distribution project in Bankura and Purulia districts. The project aims to supply piped natural gas (PNG) to households and industries and compressed natural gas (CNG) at retail outlets and generate employment in the region.

He also dedicated to the nation the ₹1,190-crore Durgapur–Kolkata section (132 km) of the Durgapur–Haldia Natural Gas Pipeline, laid under the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga (PMUG) initiative. Passing through Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly and Nadia districts, the pipeline is expected to benefit lakhs of people with a steady and clean supply of natural gas.

Continuing the Centre’s thrust on clean energy, PM Modi dedicated Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) systems retrofitted at the Durgapur Steel and Raghunathpur Thermal Power Stations of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC). Built at a combined cost of over ₹1,457 crore, the systems aim to curb industrial emissions and improve air quality in the region.

In the rail sector, the Prime Minister inaugurated the doubling of the 36-km Purulia–Kotshila rail line, completed at a cost of over ₹390 crore.

(With PTI inputs)