Why do Bengalis hate Rajasthani People?

Well, it is not Rajasthani, but Marwari to be specific. But then also, hating won't be the right
word; still we need to delve into history for this.

Bengal was one of the richest states in India during the 17th and 18th Century. Rajasthan, on the
other hand, was a princely state, ravaged by centuries of war, and divided by many clans and
factions who were all trying to somehow maintain their sovereignty, either by way of
matrimonial alliances or vassalage to the Mughal throne.

Even when the British decided to conquer India, they started with Bengal, because that was the
economic nerve centre of the country back then. The clothes from Chittagong, Dhaka,
Murshidabad were a rage across Europe, and these cities had to be destroyed if Manchester was
to have any future-that was the brutal reality of colonialism.

Bengal was a peaceful society then. The local ruler, Nawab Shiraj-ud-Daulah, was a Muslim, and
the local population was Hindu, but there was no animosity between the two communities.

The Marwaris were traders and came to Bengal with meagre belongings, a few clothes and pots
and pans, much like the early immigrants to America.

Nawab Shiraj-ud-Daulah gave these Marwari businessmen land, resources, as well as the permit
to carry business. But that's where the fairytale ends.

When Robert Clive, later the founder of the British Empire in India, decided to wage war against
the Nawab, it was the three richest Marwari businessmen of Calcutta who gave him the money.

In other words, the Marwari businessmen of Calcutta financed the war campaign against their
own king at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. This war was a turning point in Indian history, and
firmly established British rule over the Subcontinent.

The Marwaris had betrayed the king, the people and the land that had offered them refuge.

So, Bengalis see the Marwaris the same way the Germans (after WWI) held the Jews responsible
for stabbing in the back during WWI.

Another reason is that the Bengalis have massively taken part in the Indian freedom movement,
while the Marwaris have increasingly sided with the British, and even where they have supported
the freedom fight, they have tried to reap some monetary benefit from that. It has never been a
voluntary and selfless support to the cause. They have given more value and importance to
profiteering than to national service.

Even during the Bengal Famine of 1943, when as many as 4 million people died of starvation in
Bengal, Marwari businessmen were busy hoarding foodgrains and black marketing, while people
were dying in the streets and villages in Bengal.
Bengalis have also sufferred a lot due to Partition, both economically, and otherwise, while the
Marwaris haven't, and the Partition was a direct consequence of British rule in India. If one were
to draw the line, it would go back to the Marwari businessmen who financed Clive against
Shiraj-ud-Daulah.

Historically, Bengalis nurture a deep-rooted antipathy towards the Marwaris, and the Marwaris,
too, knowingly or unknowingly, have not done anything to address these touchy issues.

So, the reason why Bengalis dislike or disprove of the Marwaris is not because of the latter's
wealth or economic well-being, but because of historical betrayal, treachery and war profiteering
at the cost of human suffering.