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Bangla Pokkho

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Bangla Pokkho
Pronunciation
Formation7 January 2018 (6 years ago) (2018-01-07)
FounderGarga Chatterjee
Legal statusActive
FocusBengali nationalism in India
HeadquartersKolkata, India
Location
Region served
West Bengal
ProductsBangla Pokkho Barta (Monthly newspaper)
Membership200,000-300,000 (2019)
Official language
Bengali
Websitewww.banglapokkho.com

Bangla Pokkho (pronounced [ˈbaŋla ˈpɔkʰːo]) is a pro-Bengali advocacy organisation that focuses on rights for Bengalis in the Republic of India.[1] Based on Bengali nationalism, it works against the enforcing of the Hindustani language in West Bengal. It is organised along linguistic lines and is aimed at protecting Bengali culture. It uses the state slogan "Joy Bangla".[2]

Demands and protests

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See also: Discrimination against Bengalis in India and Anti-Hindi agitations of West Bengal

Bangla Pokkho majorly demands 100% reservation for residents of West Bengal in fields of government jobs[3] and 90% reservation in other job sectors, education, military, and administration works.[4] The group has done numerous meetings, gatherings, and rallies throughout many places of West Bengal and Tripura.[3][5]

Bangla Pokkho also demanded for Bengali language in various exams i.e. Rail, JEE, NEET[1] etc., and in Banks, offices, and other sectors. The group proposed that the top administrative officials in West Bengal must come from the WBCS/WBPS cadre and not the IAS/IPS.

Bangla Pokkho protested when Bengali workers in WBSEDCL were expelled as they were not fluent in English and Hindi. After protests, the company took them back and enacted them in respective places.[6][7]

Massive controversy broke out when in the second season of the webseries ‘Abhay’, released on OTT platform Zee5, young Bengali freedom fighter Khudiram Bose was shown as a "criminal" in its second episode. Bangla Pokkho along with many nationalist organisations protested and demanded the show to be banned.[8] The group sent a legal notice to remove the scene.[9] After that Zee5 edited and re-released the show cutting out the Khudiram image.[10]

The group opposed the CAA and NRC, planned by the central government to be implemented in Bengal. Bangla Pokkho said that the BJP unlawfully had passed the laws in the parliament to break the unity of Hindus and Muslims.[11]

The group also protested against the idea of the formation of Gorkhaland. They fired an idol of Subramaniyam Swami who proposed to make a separate state from West Bengal namely Gorkhaland [12]

Bangla Pokkho along with Kanchanpur Nagarik Surakkha Mancha met in a big protest in Tripura, that gathered more than 30,000 Bengalis in Tripura, complaining against social discrimination of Bengalis by the Tripura state BJP Government.[13]

Major successes

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  • The West Bengal Public Service Commission, which is the body for tests for administrative posts in the Government of West Bengal marked the Bengali language mandatory with 300 marks in Bengali/Nepali language paper in the examination.[14]
  • Hindi and English languages were used in Kolkata Metro Rail smart cards. In this regard, the Bangla Pokkho protested and pointed out the non-use of the Bengali language in Bengali-speaking states and the use of Hindi to the exclusion of the Bengali. Bengali language was included in Kolkata Metro Rail smart card after this protest.[15]
  • The SET exam, used to recruit college faculties, introduced the Bengali language as a medium.[16]
  • Major banks and ATMs started to use the Bengali language in the bank forms, which were previously in Hindi and English only.[17]

Support and criticism

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As of January 2019, Bangla Pokkho claims to have 200,000 to 300,000 supporters,[1] who usually have a stand for the promotion and protection of Bengali culture. Bangla Pokkho is known to promote Hindu-Muslim unity among Bengalis. Maidul Islam, political analyst and faculty member of Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, terms this as the rise of the organic nationalist left of center, after the decline of Left and its class politics.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Bangla Pokkho: the outfit fighting for the rights of Bengalis". www.telegraphindia.com.
  2. ^ "Bangla Pokkho". www.banglapokkho.com.
  3. ^ a b "'Bangla Pokkho' seeks job, education reservation ahead of Bengal polls - The New Indian Express". www.newindianexpress.com.
  4. ^ "'Bangla Pokkho' seeks job, education reservation for Bengalis in Bengal - Times of India". The Times of India. 18 January 2021.
  5. ^ https://bengali.indianexpress.com/politics/bangla-pokkho-meeting-in-kolkata-for-demand-protection-of-bengal-son-of-the-soil-bhumiputra-277439/lite/&ved=2ahUKEwiL3subw_PuAhWaWX0KHYxwCqUQFjAEegQICBAL&usg=AOvVaw0CeFqxUG6u9rp81YZFz3Sa&ampcf=1 [dead link‍]
  6. ^ Chakraborty, Ritika (October 17, 2020). "ইংরেজি না বলার অপরাধে আয়কর দফতর থেকে ছাঁটাই পাঁচ কর্মী, প্রতিবাদ বাংলা পক্ষের". Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Chakraborty, Ritika (June 30, 2020). "'বাঙালিকে চাকরিতে নেবে না', প্রতিবাদ জানিয়ে থানায় অভিযোগ দায়ের বাংলা পক্ষের".[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ "অপরাধীদের মাঝে ক্ষুদিরামের ছবি! চাপে নিঃশর্ত ক্ষমা Zee5-এর, বিক্ষোভ বাংলা পক্ষের". Ei Samay.
  9. ^ "'Abhay 2' makers get legal notice after row over Khudiram Bose's image". The Federal. August 17, 2020.
  10. ^ Deep, Aroon (August 19, 2020). "Zee5 edits freedom fighter out of TV show after appearance on wanted board causes outrage".
  11. ^ Singha, Biswajit Roy and Aritra (December 15, 2019). "BJP is the most undemocratic party and the Bengalis are ready to fight back". eNewsroom India.
  12. ^ "সুব্রামানিয়াম স্বামীর কুশপুতুল পুড়িয়ে প্রতিবাদ, বাংলা ভাগের বিরুদ্ধে পথে নামল 'বাংলাপক্ষ' | Bangla pokkho protest against Subramaniyam Swamy on Gorkhaland remarks". bangla.asianetnews.com.
  13. ^ "ত্রিপুরায় আমন্ত্রিত বাংলা পক্ষ, জনসভায় ভিড় ৩০,০০০ বাঙালির". www.aajkaal.in/. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  14. ^ "WBCS-এ বাংলা ভাষা পরীক্ষা বাধ্যতামূলক, ৫ বছরের লড়াইয়ে জয় উদযাপন করল বাংলা পক্ষ".
  15. ^ "Anti-Hindi movement re-surfaces in Bengal, leader says BJP's rise a threat to regional languages". www.hindustantimes.com. 6 July 2018. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  16. ^ "Set 2023: বাংলায় প্রশ্নপত্র, রবিবার পরীক্ষায় বসছেন ৮৫ হাজার, Set নিয়ে বড় আপডেট".
  17. ^ "Petition filed in Calcutta High Court seeking bank services in Bengali language".
  18. ^ "Bengali-non-Bengali divide arising in West Bengal?". Deccan Herald. November 6, 2019.
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