The West Bengal government will make Bengali mandatory for all official communications from September 1, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced in the Assembly on Monday, citing a recent letter from Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging states to promote the use of Indian languages in governance.
"From September 1, 2026, use of the Bengali language will be mandatory at every level of the state government," Adhikari said.
He added that the state would use Bengali in all communications with the Centre and other states, while correspondence with the Union government would be in both Bengali and Hindi. At present, official communication with the Centre is generally conducted in English.
During his address, Adhikari read out Shah's letter, written in Bengali during the Union Home Minister's recent three-day visit to the state. In the letter, Shah referred to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee's support for the preservation and promotion of Indian languages.
"He was an ardent supporter of conservation, development and the extensive use of Indian languages," Shah wrote.
The Union Home Minister urged the state government to ensure that Bengali is used across all levels of administration, including file management, official notings, departmental correspondence and government orders, from the land and land revenue department to the Chief Minister's Office.
Shah also recommended greater use of Bengali in public services, digital governance, government websites, mobile applications, media advertisements and other official communications.
He further suggested that the language be prioritised in police administration, including the registration of FIRs, complaint filing, citizen information and public awareness campaigns, saying it would strengthen public trust and participation in governance.
"Instead of a foreign language, Bengali and Rajbhasha Hindi can be used in official communications with the central government," the letter stated.
Drawing from the Centre's experience, Shah noted that file management, official notings, departmental communications and government notifications are effectively handled in Hindi in the Union Home Ministry, demonstrating that good governance can be achieved through Indian languages.
"I believe that on the 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, your government will take effective steps for the extensive use and development of Indian languages," Shah wrote, adding that such efforts would strengthen governance while helping preserve India's linguistic and cultural heritage.
Shah's letter comes a day after he inaugurated the Museum of Word in Kolkata, where he stressed the importance of learning at least one Indian language in addition to one's mother tongue to preserve the country's linguistic diversity and civilisational identity.
(With PTI inputs)