{"id":11062,"date":"2020-08-01T03:26:13","date_gmt":"2020-08-01T03:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bengalnewstimes.com\/?p=11062"},"modified":"2020-08-01T03:26:13","modified_gmt":"2020-08-01T03:26:13","slug":"buzz-over-us-politicos-bengali-tweets-kolkata-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bengalnewstimes.com\/?p=11062","title":{"rendered":"Buzz over US politico\u2019s Bengali tweets | Kolkata News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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KOLKATA: Two tweets in Bengali by Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the US Representative for New York\u2019s 14th congressional district, urging people to participate in the American census exercise have gone viral, leaving hundreds of Bengali-speaking Twitterati intrigued about her choice of language and its political significance.
While many have pointed out that her district has \u201ca huge Bengali-speaking population\u201d and a few have picked out flaws in the Bengali, the consensus is that AOC, as Ocasio-Cortez in popularly known, has made the right noise. <\/p>\n
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\u0986\u09ae\u09be\u09a6\u09c7\u09b0 \u09ae\u09a7\u09cd\u09af\u09c7 \u09af\u09a4 \u09ac\u09c7\u09b6\u09bf \u09b8\u0982\u0996\u09cd\u09af\u0995 \u09ac\u09cd\u09af\u0995\u09cd\u09a4\u09bf \u09b2\u09cb\u0995\u0997\u09a3\u09a8\u09be \u09aa\u09c2\u09b0\u09a3 \u0995\u09b0\u09c7\u09a8, \u0986\u09ae\u09b0\u09be NYC\u2019\u09b0 \u09b8\u09cd\u0995\u09c1\u09b2, \u09b8\u09a1\u09bc\u0995, \u09b8\u09c7\u09a4\u09c1, \u09b8\u09cd\u09ac\u09be\u09b8\u09cd\u09a5\u09cd\u09af \u09aa\u09b0\u09bf\u099a\u09b0\u09cd\u09af\u09be, \u0986\u09ac\u09be\u09b8\u09a8, \u098f\u09ac\u0982\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/ZH6nchgKip<\/p>\n

\u2014 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) 1595942160000<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The two tweets, posted on July 28 and 29, urge people to fill up the census form and refer to President Donald Trump\u2019s July 21 memorandum to prevent immigrants without legal documentation from being counted in the 2020 census for the redrawing of the congressional districts. Ocasio-Cortez also tweeted in Spanish. <\/p>\n

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\u09b2\u09cb\u0995\u0997\u09a3\u09a8\u09be\u099f\u09bf \u0985\u09ad\u09bf\u09ac\u09be\u09b8\u09a8 \u09ac\u09be \u09a8\u09be\u0997\u09b0\u09bf\u0995\u09a4\u09cd\u09ac\u09c7\u09b0 \u09b8\u09cd\u09a5\u09bf\u09a4\u09bf \u09b8\u09ae\u09cd\u09aa\u09b0\u09cd\u0995\u09c7 \u0995\u09cb\u09a8\u09cb \u09aa\u09cd\u09b0\u09b6\u09cd\u09a8 \u099c\u09bf\u099c\u09cd\u099e\u09be\u09b8\u09be \u0995\u09b0\u09c7 \u09a8\u09be\u0964 \u09b2\u09cb\u0995\u0997\u09a3\u09a8\u09be\u099f\u09bf \u0986\u09ae\u09c7\u09b0\u09bf\u0995\u09be\u09a4\u09c7 \u09ac\u09b8\u09ac\u09be\u09b8\u0995\u09be\u09b0\u09c0 \u09aa\u09cd\u09b0\u09a4\u09cd\u09af\u09c7\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/4XLnXs6A0E<\/p>\n

\u2014 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) 1596028740000<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

According to psephologist Biswanath Chakraborty, this outreach is likely to be a \u201cstrategy\u201d to connect with voters in their mother tongue. \u201cLast year, we had seen how Trump, along with Narendra Modi, had tried to influence Indian-American voters. The tweets show that Bengali voters in AOC\u2019s district are important. There is also a definite surprise factor. Today, it is not too difficult to use software to translate languages. If there is a Bengali in her think tank, using this outreach method does not come as a surprise,\u201d Chakraborty said.
The US leader indeed has a Bengali in her core team. Bangladeshi American Naureen Akhter, founder of a group called Muslims For Progress, was the \u2018director of organizing\u2019 for her campaign in the 2018 US midterm elections.
Prabir Roy, who for 50 years has been living in New York\u2019s Queens and has already filled up the census form, feels these tweets are part of \u201cgood politics\u201d. \u201cI am aware that AOC has a strong Bengali adviser. Queens has a strong Bangladeshi population and some were afraid to go for the census. Such an appeal in Bengali will definitely encourage them,\u201d said Roy, who is the founder of the India Day Parade and the past president of the Federation of Indian Association and Cultural Association of Bengal. He added that AOC\u2019s tweets in Bengali were probably made with an eye on the polls but \u201cit is also about making people feel cared-for\u201d.
Taxi driver and Bangladeshi community leader Osman Chowdhury, who has been living in New York for 28 years, is clearly impressed with AOC\u2019s move. \u201cI have seen fliers written in Bengali at AOC\u2019s poll campaigns. But this is the first time she has tweeted in Bengali. Her gesture shows a lot of respect for the Bengali language and fills my heart with pride,\u201d said Chowdhury, who made headlines in 2007 for returning 31 diamond rings forgotten in his cab. He is also happy that AOC is countering Trump\u2019s agenda. \u201cTrump\u2019s move was made with an eye on the ballot box and promotes white supremacy. That needs to be countered. I will soon fill up the form,\u201d he added.
Willy Nandi, who works on a health project at the New York University, is also waiting to fill up the form. \u201cI have been living in New York for 15 years now. I live in Jackson Heights and am in AOC\u2019s district. I am glad she has tweeted in Bengali. It will inspire many Bengali-speaking people like me to fill up the form,\u201d Nandi said.
Abdur Rahim Howladar, the acting president of Bangladesh Society that has 28,000 members, has already filled up the census form and is urging others to do so. \u201cBy a rough estimate, there are some one lakh Bangladeshis in AOC\u2019s district. In America, New York has the maximum number of people without documents. All of them work hard and must be counted in the census,\u201d he said. Howladar, who runs a driving school, has attended meetings on Zoom with AOC. \u201cWe are happy that AOC is protesting Trump\u2019s unfair memo that tries to exclude immigrants without legal documentation in the census.\u201d <\/div>\n