New Delhi [India], July 20 : Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging his intervention against the alleged harassment, humiliation, and detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Maharashtra and Odisha.
Chowdhury alleged that these daily wage workers are being targeted for speaking Bengali, which is reportedly being mistaken for Bangladeshi.
"It is with immense anguish and a great deal of concern that I am seeking your kind intervention for bringing to end, the unprecedented and unheard of harassment, humiliation, physical torture and "uncalled "for detention that a large number of Bengali migrant workers, who eke out their living by working mainly as daily wage labourers in different parts of Odisha and Maharashtra in particular are being subjected to," he wrote.
He further stated that the migrant workers are facing harassment for speaking Bengali, as their language sounds similar to that of Bangladesh.
"Your knowledge and understanding of issues relating to migrant labourers, and more specifically, the lakhs of inter-state migrants who hail from West Bengal, their income levels, living standards, as also contribution to the revenues of the State Government are immense," he wrote. "I, therefore, do not feel it to be necessary to put forth these facts before you. What is deeply saddening - in regard to which your intervention is an urgent necessity - is the fact that the migrants who belong to the poor and down trodden section of Society and are bonafide, Indian Citizens are being harassed, humiliated, held in detention and physically abused and assaulted on the pretext of the fact that their physical appearance and accent of language spoken is similar to the people of Bangladesh," he added.
Calling the situation "inhumane," Chowdhury urged the Prime Minister to take urgent steps to ensure the safety, dignity, and livelihood of these inter-state migrant workers.
"The Union Government under your Leadership is bestowed with the responsibility of protecting the lives and livelihood of the Country's Citizens. Harassment and physical abuse of inter-state migrant labourers who belong to a specific linguistic group or community and are Indian Citizens, and more sadly, on a very large scale, and in the most in-human manner cannot be allowed to continue," he wrote.
Chowdhury further added, "Given the facts relating to the targeted harassment, humiliation, and torture the poor and innocent Bengali speaking people working as labourers in Odisha, Maharashtra and other States are being subjected to, I would earnestly request you to intervene for protecting these poor and innocent people from the suffering they are being subjected to."
Chowdhury requested PM Modi to direct the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Union Home Ministry to protect inter-state migrant workers.
"As a step in the direction for protecting the right to life and livelihood of bonafide, Indian Citizens which have been under threat, I would request you to issue appropriate directions to the Ministry of Labour and Employment for taking positive action for protecting the rights. of "inter-state migrant labourers" who hail from the State of West Bengal. Simultaneously, the Ministry of Home Affairs may be asked to ensure that the innocent are not subjected to unwarranted hardship despite being legitimate Indian Citizens who have migrated to other States for earning their livelihood," the letter read.
"I eagerly look forward for your kind intervention, as the Head of the Government, in protecting the lives of its Bengali speaking citizens, who belong to the poorer sections of the Indian Society and are inter-state migrant workers," it added.
On July 13, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to the President of India, expressing grave concern over the ongoing harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)- affiliated workers' union and the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) staged a protest march against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Siliguri, condemning the alleged harassment and pushback of migrant Bengali-speaking individuals from several BJP-ruled states.