As the assembly elections in West Bengal approach, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has stirred political controversy by insulting the Gujarati community, claiming that they played no role in India’s freedom struggle. Speaking at a media conference on Saturday (28th March), Moitra dragged the entire Gujarati community into a political battle while attacking Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is from Gujarat.
The TMC MP, who often finds herself in controversy because of her political statements, claimed that people from the Gujarati community did not contribute to the freedom struggle at all. Drawing a comparison between the people of West Bengal and the people from Gujarat, Moitra claimed that the contribution of Bengalis in the freedom struggle was far superior to that of Gujaratis, who, according to her, made a negligible contribution. “Bengalis are a very proud race. We led the war for independence against the British. Who were the Gujaratis?” questioned Moitra.
#WATCH | Kolkata | TMC MP Mahua Moitra says, "Bengalis are a very proud race. We led the war for independence against the British. Who were the Gujaratis?… 68% of the names of the people who were killed and incarcerated in Kala Pani were Bengalis, followed by Punjabis. Can you… pic.twitter.com/w61O2KpSQX
— ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2026
She further claimed that most of the freedom fighters who were sent to the Kala Pani by the British to undergo harsh punishment were Bengalis. She said that no Gujarati freedom fighters were sent to Kala Pani. “… 68% of the names of the people who were killed and incarcerated in Kala Pani were Bengalis, followed by Punjabis. Can you name me one Gujarati who was there, apart from your big hero, Veer Savarkar, who only wanted to sit and write apology letters? Please let us know…” Moitra asserted, while mistaking freedom fighter Veer Savarkar, who was a Marathi, for a Gujarati. Interestingly, Moitra completely forgot about political leaders like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who led the country’s freedom movement, while making utterly false and misleading remarks.
A perpetually enraged Moitra accused Amit Shah of targeting the entire Bengali community for his strong stance against illegal immigration. Moitra expressed extreme disappointment over the Modi government’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, most of whom were Bangladeshi nationals. She claimed that the BJP has been targeting and harassing Bengalis in the name of taking action against illegal immigrants.
