The paper interrogates the recent literary tradition of the writers and activists who are critical to the narrative of secular and language-based Bangalee (Bengali) nationalism. It contends that the recent literary and linguistic practices of these writers challenge the notion that Bangaleeness (Bengaliness) as a collective identity of Bengali-Muslims in Bangladesh is exclusive to Islam. This, as the paper argues, shows a dismissal to the Bangalee (Bengali) nationalists’ narrative that tend to celebrate a cross-border and shared Bengali culture in distancing themselves from the Pakistan-centric Musalman (Muslim) identity since its moments of origin. This shifting interpretation of Bengali identity follows a constructionist approach, for it is crafted by contemporary writers and activists who resist and challenge the Kolkata-centric “standard” literary-tradition and the long-assumed mutual exclusiveness of Bengali and Muslim identity. Yet to be regarded as the mainstream of the literary practice of Bangladesh, this craftsmanship offers a potential not only for a mere literary practice but for the broader politics of identity.