Metro language ruckus reaches state assembly

Kolkata: Balagarh MLA Manoranjan Byapari on Thursday brought up the issue of linguistic intolerance faced by Bengali-speakers in the state on the floor of the assembly. He voiced concerns over incidents where outsiders allegedly threatened locals, asking them to speak in Hindi. "A group of outsiders are threatening us, asking us to speak in Hindi inside West Bengal. I am being denied services at banks and on the metro for speaking in Bengali. Action must be taken against this."Byapari strongly emphasised that those residing in Bengal have a responsibility to learn and respect Bengali language. "When we go to other states, we try to respect the linguistic identity of the region and make an effort to learn their language. Why should it be different for Bengali in Bengal?" he later told TOI, urging the govt to take strict measures to protect the linguistic rights of Bengali speakers.The issue gained prominence following an incident on a Kolkata Metro train. In the video, a non-Bengali woman was seen confronting a Bengali passenger for speaking her native language instead of Hindi. The former was heard saying, "This is not Bangladesh. You are in India. West Bengal is part of India. You must learn and speak Hindi."In response, the Bengali woman firmly asserted her linguistic identity, stating, "I live in West Bengal, in my homeland, not yours. How can you stay in my state and insult me for speaking in Bengali?" The argument escalated as the non-Bengali woman claimed the metro and the state did not belong exclusively to Bengalis, to which the Bengali passenger retorted, "The metro is mine, so is West Bengal. The metro here was made using the money of taxpayers in West Bengal, not by the tax paid by people from your home state." The confrontation grew heated as onlookers intervened to de-escalate the situation. However, tensions peaked when the non-Bengali woman remarked, "You are not in Bangladesh," sparking backlash from several passengers who viewed the comment as disrespectful.This incident has reignited a broader debate about linguistic respect and regional identity in Bengal, with many calling for greater recognition of Bengali as the state's primary language in public spaces and services.