February 4, 2026
Samirul Islam’s Zero Hour mention on the demand for stopping the mistreatment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in several states
Mr. Chairman Sir, I thank you, finally, for giving me the opportunity to speak in this August House about the atrocities faced by migrant workers from Bengal. I am surprised because I have spoken many times before in this House about the torture of migrant workers who go from West Bengal to various other states. The Government of West Bengal has repeatedly informed the Central Government about the atrocities against Bengali-speaking migrant workers. But the torture has not decreased; rather, the scale of these atrocities is increasing day by day. Sir, is speaking the Bengali language a crime? What is their offense? From Delhi to Odisha, in any state today, if someone speaks in Bengali, they are branded as ‘Bangladeshi’ and sometimes thrown into detention camps. Samik Da (Shri Samik Bhattacharya) the workers and the people of Bengal are watching this; they are watching this * BJP. Today, when I try to speak about the torture of Bengali speakers, what the BJP is doing will be answered by the people of Bengal in 2026. Sir, is speaking in Bengali a crime today? Today, if one speaks Bengali, they are either kept in detention camps or many are being trafficked to Bangladesh, and many are still stranded in Bangladesh. I want to mention a woman named Sunali Khatun, a pregnant lady who had land documents dating back to 1952; she was beaten by the Delhi Police and sent to Bangladesh. Many are still stranded in Bangladesh. I request that a Standing Committee be formed in Parliament, a committee be established, and an investigation be conducted. Many people will still be found who are residents of India but are currently stranded in Bangladesh. Sir, many people in States surrounding Delhi speak in the language of Pakistan. So, have they become Pakistani? I want to know this from you, Sir. If we search for ‘migrant workers’ on Google, we will find hundreds of links showing how these innocent people are being tortured. In this Budget, not a single word was mentioned about migrant workers. However, our hon. Chief Minister Madam Mamata Banerjee has created the Migrant Workers Welfare Board. Sir, we have searched thoroughly, only about 30 lakh people from West Bengal work outside of Bengal. But do you know how many people work in Bengal? 1.5 crore people from other States work in Bengal. Can you show even one example where the Bengal Government is torturing people from other States? Today, we are sitting in this august House. Did the Prime Minister of the country provide the labour to build this august House? No. Did any Member of Parliament provide the labour? No. Did I provide the labour? No. Did you provide it? You didn’t. That labour was provided by these migrant workers. They built this Parliament building with their blood and sweat; they have built great things. They built the houses we live in. Today, why should these Bengali-speaking migrant workers be subjected to such atrocities? Thank you, Sir.
