Mamata Likely to Lead Her Third ‘Bhasha Andolan’ Rally in Siliguri Later This Month

Language rights campaign intensifies ahead of 2026 polls

MP  | Kolkata | August 2, 2025  ; Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee is expected to undertake a tour of the North Bengal region later this month, where she will conduct her party’s third “Bhasha Andolan” (language movement) rally. This movement is aimed at highlighting the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states across India.

According to sources within the Trinamool Congress, Siliguri has been chosen as the venue for the third rally to be led by Mamata Banerjee. The tentative date for the protest is scheduled between August 17 and August 21.

The ruling party in Bengal appears to be prioritising North Bengal as a key political battleground in the lead-up to the 2026 Assembly elections. The BJP had won six out of seven constituencies in North Bengal during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Although TMC registered a landslide victory in the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP candidates managed to retain a significant presence in this region.

Recently, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the BJP would secure at least 40 out of 54 Assembly constituencies in North Bengal in the upcoming 2026 polls.

As part of her upcoming North Bengal visit, Chief Minister Banerjee is also likely to hold administrative meetings and inaugurate various state government projects.

Before her planned Siliguri rally, Banerjee will lead her second ‘Bhasha Andolan’ rally in the tribal-dominated district of Jhargram on August 6. The first rally of the language movement was held in Bolpur, Birbhum, a location closely associated with Rabindranath Tagore, on June 28.

In response to reports of mistreatment faced by Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states, Mamata Banerjee has intensified her campaign for linguistic rights. At her party’s July 21 Martyr’s Day rally in Kolkata, she had vowed to confront what she termed “atrocities” on Bengali-speaking people and declared that the ‘Bhasha Andolan’ would continue across the state.

While launching the movement from Bolpur on July 28, Banerjee issued a strong declaration against the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bengal.

“I will not allow NRC to be implemented in Bengal as long as I am alive. I am ready to lay down my life if required, but I will not let anybody snatch my language. I won’t allow detention camps here,”

— Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal

Her remarks drew widespread attention, reinforcing her stand on protecting the linguistic and civil rights of Bengali-speaking communities both within and outside the state.