West Bengal is set to make Bengali the mandatory official communication language from September 1, a move that will affect internal government communications across departments and agencies. While the state and central government communications will be in both Hindi and Bengali, internal official interactions will be exclusively in Bengali, aiming to bolster the language's presence in the state's administrative framework. The decision has been met with a spectrum of views, with linguists pointing out implementation nuances and opposition parties raising concerns about practicalities for non-Bengali speaking officials and citizens, emphasizing the need for standardized processes and consideration for all communities.

West Bengal is set to make Bengali the mandatory official communication language from September 1, a move that will affect internal government communications across departments and agencies. While the state and central government communications will be in both Hindi and Bengali, internal official interactions will be exclusively in Bengali, aiming to bolster the language's presence in the state's administrative framework. The decision has been met with a spectrum of views, with linguists pointing out implementation nuances and opposition parties raising concerns about practicalities for non-Bengali speaking officials and citizens, emphasizing the need for standardized processes and consideration for all communities.

West Bengal is set to make Bengali the mandatory official communication language from September 1, a move that will affect internal government communications across departments and agencies. While the state and central government communications will be in both Hindi and Bengali, internal official interactions will be exclusively in Bengali, aiming to bolster the language's presence in the state's administrative framework. The decision has been met with a spectrum of views, with linguists pointing out implementation nuances and opposition parties raising concerns about practicalities for non-Bengali speaking officials and citizens, emphasizing the need for standardized processes and consideration for all communities.

After Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the official communication will be in Bengali henceforth, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced in the Assembly on Monday that from September 1, the mandate will be initiated. 

Adhikari said that at all levels of internal official communication, Bengali will be the medium. With regard to communication between the state and central government, it will be made in both Hindi and Bengali.

“This decision has been taken to strengthen further the use of the Bengali language in the state’s official system," said Suvendu Adhikari while holding up the letter sent to him by Shah. The letter stated that to highlight the importance of Bengali as a regional language, it must be used in official communication. 

The initiative will be implemented for state government departments, autonomous agencies and administrative levels. 

“It took 75 years to make Bengali language mandatory in West Bengal. This was achieved after Suvendu Adhikari became the Chief Minister," said BJP state spokesperson Debjit Sarkar while stating that those making comments on saffronisation should reflect the decision by Shah and Adhikari. 

Linguist Pabitra Sarkar welcomed this decision and mentioned that several decisions need to be made regarding various aspects and training will be required(for government employees). “What form of Bengali will be used, the formal or archaic Sadhu or colloquial Chalit? At one time, there was a tendency to use Sadhu Bengali in official work; however, Sadhu Bengali has fallen out of use since the 19th century," said Pabitra Sarkar, further stating that standard colloquial Bengali is used everywhere nowadays and that implementation of Bengali cannot happen overnight. 

Opposition parties had differing views too. "There is already an established system for using Bengali within the government administration. There are many non-Bengali officers, so there should be a standardised process of communication. Merely issuing a notice does not make someone a part of Bengali culture. It is perfectly fine to encourage people to speak and read Bengali and in fact, necessary too, but we must also consider many non-Bengalis, including officers and judges. What happens in their case? Will court hearings and official orders be conducted only in Bengali? These are practical questions that need to be addressed," said Trinamool Congress(TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh.

The Congress welcomed the move but had similar views to linguist Sarkar. "I appreciate the use of the Bengali language. However, to effectively implement it, both the classical and modern forms of the language need to be developed. Furthermore, books in Bengali are required across all disciplines. For instance, medical textbooks must be available in Bengali for medical studies, and law textbooks must be available in Bengali for legal studies," said State Congress President Shubhankar Sarkar.

Left Front believes introducing Bengali as the official language is a good move. “It would be beneficial if the BJP government fulfills the many promises it is making," said CPIM leader Rabin Deb, who further stated that while he does not know whether the BJP is following the Left, the party is attempting to implement the agenda of the RSS. Deb also said that the BJP is doing this nationwide and, since coming to power in the state, the party is taking steps to do the same here.

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