Speaking Bengali in Kolkata’s civic body meetings is now no longer a choice, but a rule. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has made it mandatory for all councillors to use Bengali during monthly meetings and question sessions. The move comes as part of a larger call by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who recently hit the streets to protest the reported mistreatment of Bengali speakers in BJP-ruled states.
The decision was made public after a recent KMC meeting where Monalisa Bandyopadhyay, a councillor from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), asked her question in English. This didn’t sit well with KMC chairperson Mala Roy, who quickly asked Mayor Firhad Hakim to respond in Bengali. Once he did, Roy stood up and declared that from now on, all KMC discussions and official work will be done in Bengali.
“We are seeing how people are being harassed in other states just for speaking Bengali,” Roy said. “This is our way of standing up and saying, enough is enough.”
She later sent out a formal note to all councillors, clearly stating that only Bengali should be used during question hour and in official communication. KMC sources say they are now working on ways to help councillors submit their questions in Bengali in upcoming sessions. The councillor who asked the original question in English said she’s happy to switch to Bengali.
But the move has not gone without pushback. Sajal Ghosh, a BJP councillor, questioned why the rule applies only to meetings. “Why stop at this? Why not make all KMC signs Bengali and remove the Urdu ones too? Even KMC’s official papers still use Urdu,” he said. He also brought up a past remark by Mayor Hakim, who had once said he would be happy if half of Kolkata’s population spoke Urdu. “What does the chairperson think about that?” Ghosh asked.
Interestingly, many opposition councillors from BJP, Congress, and the Left have already been using Bengali in meetings without being told to.
While some see the rule as a strong message of cultural pride, others feel it’s being used to stir political emotions. As the debate over language heats up, one thing is clear: in Kolkata’s civic life, Bengali is now front and centre.
