Mamata Banerjee claims to know 14 languages 'but doesn't brag'; lists Vietnamese & Russian

A video has been widely shared on the Internet in which West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed she knows at least 14 languages "but does not brag about it." The Chief Minister made the claim while briefing the media at the State Secretariat on Tuesday, December 1.

'I don't brag about it'

"I can speak Gujarati. I learnt Vietnamese when I visited Vietnam. I know a little bit of Russian after visiting the country three times. I also know Nagamese since I’ve worked in Nagaland for a long time. I know Manipuri, I know Assamese," Mamata said. "I know Oriya, Punjabi, Maratha and Bangla language. I know Hindi, Urdu, Gorkha, Nepali. But I don’t brag about it. Rather I’ll feel proud if I can speak for them," she added. According to media reports, this was an offshoot to an answer on the Centre’s allegations that West Bengal is not implementing various projects.

However, according to a Hindustan Times report, Mamata Banerjee made the remarks in response to PM Modi quoting a Bengali verse during his Mann ki Baat radio address on Sunday. "Everything appears in front of you on a teleprompter when you are giving a public speech. You just read it. The public won’t get to see it. Only a few people know this. Earlier it was a practice in the USA and the UK. Now we are seeing it in India," she said. 

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Meanwhile, CM Banerjee after a cabinet meeting extended support to the ongoing farmers' protest over farm laws and said the Centre has "snatched their livelihood" and is trying to take away the rights of the farmers. "They (BJP) are trying to curb all democratic and fundamental rights. They cannot curb the democratic rights of the farmers. The Centre has passed a law which is against the interest of the farmers," she said. 

West Bengal is set to witness a stiff fight between TMC and opposition BJP, which has made deep inroads. While the Assembly election will be crucial for the BJP as it has never been in the government in West Bengal, Banerjee will be seeking to return to power for the third consecutive time. Election to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly is due in April-May next year.

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