TMC MP Mahua Moitra alleges illegal eviction of Bengalis from Odisha; BJP hits back

A political controversy erupted on Wednesday after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra accused the Odisha Police of illegally removing four Bengali-speaking Indian citizens from Nayagarh district.

Taking to social media platform X, Moitra alleged that the individuals were evicted ‘only because they were Bengalis’, and issued a direct warning to the Odisha DGP and Nayagarh SP.

In her post, she wrote that lakhs of Odias live in West Bengal with dignity and affection, and cautioned that the Odisha officials would ‘pay the price’ for such discriminatory action.

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“You have absolutely no right to throw out Bengalis who are in your state earning a livelihood. This is against all fundamental principles of the Constitution. Please understand, there are Odia cooks, gardeners, plumbers, and many more lakhs of Odia who live and work in Bengal. If the Bengal government starts doing what you are doing, imagine where we would end up,” Moitra said in a video message.

Her remarks quickly drew sharp reactions across political circles, triggering a fresh war of words between TMC and BJP leaders.

Responding to the allegations, the Nayagarh Police categorically denied any such eviction incident. The district police stated that no Bengali-speaking individuals were removed from the area and dismissed Moitra’s claims as baseless.

Meanwhile, the BJP issued a strong rebuttal to Moitra’s comments. BJP MLA Santosh Khatua criticised the TMC MP, stating that such remarks are unbecoming of a Member of Parliament. He further countered by questioning the West Bengal government’s role in allegedly allowing Bangladeshi nationals to settle illegally in the state.