Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP, met the families of two BJP workers who were arrested in Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi as alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators at their residence in South Dinajpur’s Tapan on Wednesday.

“They were branded as Bangladeshis for speaking in Bengali and arrested by the Bhiwandi police. For seven months they spent behind bars. One of them was a BJP booth president but the BJP leaders in Bengal did nothing for their release,” Abhishek told the media outside the homes of Asit Sarkar and Goutam Barman.

Hailing from the home district of junior Union minister and former Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, Asit and Gautam were arrested in June last year by the Maharashtra police.

Around the same time attacks on Bengali-speaking people especially Muslims had occurred across the country, especially in the BJP-ruled states.

Trinamool chairperson and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had flagged the issue during her speech at the annual July 21 rally in Calcutta’s Esplanade.

In the run-up to this year’s Assembly polls, the Bengali language and identity are major poll planks for the Trinamool.

“The BJP leaders did not help us in any way. We could come out of jail only because of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek sir,” Barman told the media.

On their return to Calcutta in December last year, the South Dinajpur duo had met Abhishek at his office in Camac street.

“I have heard that the BJP did not extend any help because he is a former booth president. So only those holding party posts will get help from the BJP? Others will be denied? There are 1,343 booth presidents in Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency. Does it mean outside the 1,343 booth presidents he is not responsible for any other person in his constituency?” Abhishek asked, referring to Sukanta Majumdar. “He should have asked why these people were behind bars for seven months without any reason. What was their crime? Speaking in Bengali?”

Of the six Assembly constituencies in South Dinajpur, the Trinamool and the BJP had a tie in the 2021 Assembly polls with three seats each, while Majumdar won the Balurghat Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and 2024.

“It is up to the people of South Dinajpur to decide. If they think the BJP has worked for their welfare, they can vote for them in all the six seats. If they feel the BJP has failed, they should give Trinamool a chance,” Abhishek said.