TMC MPs sit on dharna over electricity disconnection from Delhi settlement

     New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders on Monday sat on a dharna at the Jai Hind camp here over the recent disconnection of electricity to the settlement dominated by Bengali-speaking people.
     Electricity was disconnected from the camp according to a court order on July 8 by officials who came along with Delhi police and CRPF personnel. The informal settlement lies between the posh Vasant Kunj and the urban village of Masoodpur, with most of the around 5,000 residents claiming that they are from Coochbehar in West Bengal.
     TMC Rajya Sabha MPs Sagarika Ghose, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Dola Sen and Saket Gokhale are sitting on a 24-hour protest, which started at 3 pm on Monday. The locals have joined the MPs in the protest.
     "The protest dharna at Jai Hind Colony, Delhi, commenced today in solidarity with Bengali-speaking families who, despite possessing valid documentation, are being unjustly branded as 'illegal' and pushed to the margins of society," TMC said in a post on X from its official account.
     "Residents of the colony joined us with remarkable courage and conviction, standing up for their identity and dignity," they said.
     The MPs sat on a dharna in a community call, next to the local mosque.
     "Yesterday, people here told us about the problems they are facing, there is no electricity, water... Today we are here for a 'dharna'. You are not alone, we are with you," Ghose said, addressing the locals in Bengali.
     "The BJP has started a new thing, those who speak in Bengali are being called Bangladeshi. They ask for proof of citizenship, and if they don't like the proof, they detain them, and hand them over to BSF to push them into Bangladesh," she said.
     While the electricity was disconnected following a court order in an encroachment case, locals have alleged they are facing discrimination for being Bengali-speaking people. They claimed that Delhi police conducted a verification a few months ago, and not a single "Bangladeshi or Rohingya" was found in the locality.
     Ghose, Roy and Gokhale also visited the locality on Sunday and assured the locals of help on behalf of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
     Trinamool Congress has alleged that Bengali-speaking migrant workers are being harassed in several states, and has cited cases of West Bengal residents being pushed to the Bangladesh border.
     On Tuesday, the West Bengal chief minister and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will take out a protest march in Kolkata on the issue.
     "The BJP's assault on Bengali identity is no longer subtle, it's organised, relentless and deeply communal. Under the leadership of Smt. Mamata Banerjee and Shri Abhishek Banerjee, we will take to the streets in resolute protest against these coordinated attacks on our people," the TMC said in a post on X.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)