After Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin Lashes Out At Delhi Police For Denouncing Linguistic Identity

A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at Delhi Police for calling Bengali as Bangladeshi language, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has now jumped to criticise.

The Delhi Police's recent remark referring Bengali as a "Bangladeshi language"- drew widespread criticism and reignited national conversations around linguistic identity and regional pride.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee called it "scandalous, anti-national, and unconstitutional."

She said such language not only insults Bengali-speaking Indians but also disrespects the cultural and constitutional standing of Bengali, which is one of the 22 official languages of India and the language of the national anthem.

And now, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin extended his strong support to Banerjee, denouncing the remark and warning against what he called the systematic erosion of India's linguistic diversity. "This mindset devalues our pluralism," Stalin said on social media, describing the statement as part of a larger attempt to marginalize non-Hindi languages.

Banerjee emphasized that Bengali has a rich heritage, being the mother tongue of stalwarts like Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. She called the remark a direct attack on millions of Indians who speak Bengali and urged people to protest against what she termed an "anti-Bengali" stance by the Union government.

"This is not just about Bengali-it's about respecting all regional languages that form the soul of India," Banerjee stated, accusing the administration of using language as a political weapon.

Stalin echoed this concern, calling the incident an example of identity politics being used to suppress linguistic rights. He praised Banerjee for taking a firm stand and said Tamil Nadu supports any effort to resist the centralization of language in India.

The controversy has sparked outrage across political and cultural circles, bringing attention to the need for sensitivity in official communication and highlighting ongoing tensions between linguistic nationalism and regional autonomy.

As debates intensify, the row has become more than a matter of one state or one community-it is being seen as a broader battle to uphold the constitutional recognition of India's linguistic pluralism and cultural federalism.