Row in Lok Sabha after Trinamool MP objects to deportation of Bangla-speaking people

The Lok Sabha on Friday witnessed a heated exchange after Trinamool Congress MP Shatabdi Roy alleged that Bangla-speaking individuals were being deported to Bangladesh, insisting that “language cannot be a basis” for such action.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Ms. Roy spoke in Bangla and cited a reported case of a man deported from Odisha. When the Chair, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, asked her to state her demand, she continued speaking past her allotted time, prompting her microphone to be switched off.

As Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jugal Kishore started speaking on another issue, Ms. Roy and fellow Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra walked to his seat and attempted to speak into his microphone, forcing the Chair to intervene and ask them to return to their benches.

BJP MP Jagdambika Pal was also seen trying to calm the Trinamool members.

Given another chance to conclude, Ms. Roy sharpened her criticism, saying that if Bangla speakers could be sent to Bangladesh, then those speaking in Hindi or Urdu should be sent to Pakistan, triggering fresh protests from the Treasury benches.

BJP MP Sambit Patra responded strongly, calling Ms. Roy’s claims “false” and asserting, “Odisha has always welcomed Bengali-speaking people as brothers, but has no place for infiltrators – Bangladeshis or Rohingyas”.