Himanta vs Mamata: Assam & Bengal CMs trade barbs over identity politics, infiltration; NRC, language rights reignite East India row

NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee escalated their war of words on Saturday over identity politics , infiltration, and treatment of Bengali-speaking citizens in Assam, with both leaders issuing strong statements within hours of each other.

While Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP government in Assam of pursuing a "divisive agenda" and threatening Bengali-speaking citizens, Sarma countered that his government was not targeting its own people but fighting against "unchecked Muslim infiltration" that was causing a "demographic shift" in the border state.

“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. In several districts, Hindus are now on the verge of becoming a minority in their own land,” Sarma posted on X.

Mamata earlier in the day, had said, “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. This divisive agenda of the BJP in Assam has crossed all limits, and people of Assam will fight back.”

Mamata also declared her support for those protesting what she called persecution based on language. “I stand with every fearless citizen who is fighting for the dignity of their language and identity, and their democratic rights,” she added.

The exchange follows a protest march by the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) in Siliguri against the National Register of Citizens (NRC), condemning the alleged harassment and deportation of Bengali-speaking individuals from BJP-ruled states.

In his rebuttal, Sarma rejected Banerjee’s allegations and said that Assam has long been a harmonious blend of languages and cultures, but preserving its borders and heritage was non-negotiable.

“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 said.

He accused Banerjee of politicising a constitutional and demographic issue and compromising Bengal’s future.

“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,” Sarma said.

Tensions have been building over the NRC and issues of illegal immigration, especially targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam. On Thursday, Sarma had sparked controversy by questioning whether Banerjee cared only about “Muslim Bengalis”.

“The question is whether Mamata Banerjee likes Bengalis or only Muslim-Bengalis. My answer is only Muslim-Bengalis,” Sarma had said, warning that if Banerjee visited Assam “for the Muslim-Bengalis,” then “the Assamese people and Hindu-Bengalis will not spare her.”

Mamata, meanwhile, held a protest march in Kolkata earlier this week against what she termed “torture” of Bengali-speaking individuals in BJP-ruled states.

As identity and language politics flare up again in eastern India, the confrontation between the two chief ministers has added fuel to ongoing debates around migration, citizenship, and federalism.