The Lok Sabha witnessed heated exchanges between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs during the Zero Hour on Friday over the alleged deportation of a Bangla-speaking individual from Odisha to Bangladesh.
TMC MP Shatabdi Roy raised the issue, asserting that language cannot be the basis for authorities to deport people. She referred to a specific case of a person being deported from Odisha.
The Heated Exchange
- TMC’s Allegation: Speaking in Bangla, Roy highlighted the issue of Bangla-speaking people allegedly being deported to Bangladesh. After her allocated time was over and her microphone was switched off, she, along with fellow TMC MP Mahua Moitra, rushed across the floor to the seat of BJP’s Jugal Kishore and attempted to speak into his microphone. The Chair, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, intervened to restore order.
- The Controversial Remark: When Roy was later allowed to conclude her speech, she sparked a fresh uproar by stating that if Bangla-speaking people can be sent to Bangladesh, then those from the BJP who speak Hindi and Urdu should be sent to Pakistan.
- BJP’s Counter: BJP MP Sambit Patra strongly countered Roy’s statement, calling her claims “false” and “untrue.” Patra asserted that Bengali-speaking people are considered “brothers” in Odisha, but that the state has no place in its heart for “infiltrators—for Bangladeshis or Rohingyas.” He demanded that Roy withdraw her “very wrong” remark about sending Hindi and Urdu speakers to Pakistan.
Patra emphasized that the issue was not about language but about illegal infiltration, stating, “Yes, Bengalis are our brothers, but Bangladeshis and Rohingyas have no place in Odisha.”