Understanding the Bengali temperament is no easy task History stands witness — rebellion runs in Bengal’s soil. Whether it was the salt satyagraha, the language movement, or the countless uprisings against injustice, Bengal has never bowed its head before wrongdoing. That same fire is alive today. People point out (and rightly so) that in Bihar, lakhs of names were struck off the voter list, and migrant workers were treated worse than animals. There is deep truth in that pain. Yet Bengal has made this its own fight. No Bengali here is ready to let anyone tamper with their voter list — even if the tampering is supposedly for a “good” reason.
The Election Commission is stunned The Election Commission probably never imagined its cleanup drive would explode into such a massive controversy in Bengal. On one side stands the BJP, out on the streets protesting against SIR. The same BJP that was boasting just a few months ago: “We will remove 2 crore fake voters in Bengal.” Now that very party fears its own plan is backfiring spectacularly. Why? Because the Bengali people have begun seeing SIR not as a cleanup, but as an attack on Bengal itself.
This is no longer a fight about votes — it’s a fight for respect Again and again, Bengalis are saying the same thing: “We will not tolerate any insult to our identity.” Whether it is the Bihari labourer or the Bengali voter, everyone is speaking up for their rights. And history has shown — once a Bengali stands up to protect their pride, they do not step back.
What happens next? Only time will tell whether SIR succeeds or fails. But one thing is certain: this battle in Bengal is no longer just about cleaning voter lists. It has become a war for Bengali honour and self-respect. And when Bengal fights, the entire country stops to watch.
This rebellion of Bengal is proving once again — In this land, not only rice grows; revolutions sprout too. ~
Sajjad Ali Nayani ✍️
