A political controversy has erupted ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections after Mahua Moitra made remarks about the Gujarati community during a media interaction on 28 March 2026.
As reported in OpIndia, the Trinamool Congress MP, while criticising Union Home Minister Amit Shah, questioned the contribution of Gujaratis to India’s freedom struggle. She stated that Bengalis had played a leading role in the independence movement and suggested that the contribution of Gujaratis was comparatively limited.
During her remarks, Moitra referred to the number of freedom fighters who were sent to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, commonly known as Kala Pani, and claimed that a significant proportion of them were from Bengal. She also questioned whether there were notable Gujarati figures among those imprisoned there, while referring to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in the context of her criticism.
#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
Her comments have drawn attention for factual inaccuracies, including the reference to Savarkar as being from Gujarat, whereas he was from Maharashtra. It is noteworthy that several prominent leaders of the freedom movement, including Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, were from Gujarat.
In her remarks, Moitra also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of targeting the Bengali community in the context of action against illegal immigration. She expressed concern over measures taken by the central government, stating that they were affecting Bengalis, particularly in states bordering Bangladesh.
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