The weaving industry of Shantipur faced a major threat in the late nineteenth century due to the introduction of cloth from England.

However, according to a survey conducted in 1940 by the Department of Industries, Bengal, 10,000 out of a total of 27,000 people in Shantipur were reported to be members of weaving families.

[2] Every member of the weaver's family was involved in the weaving of Tangail sarees produced in undivided Bengal i.e. East-Bengal of British India.

[2][3] Due to the fear of communal violence, cost of raw materials increasing several times, non-availability of loans from the government, crisis in transportation of goods, lack of business security Hindu weavers gradually migrated from Bangladesh to India, which was mentioned in a research paper published in a journal in 2014.

[5][6] Traditionally, Shantipur of Nadia and Kalna City of Purba Bardhaman districts are famous centers for handwoven fabrics, hence basak weavers settled in these places and surrounding areas.

[2] With government encouragement and assistance, weavers from East Bengal soon revived their ancestral profession and the weaving industry flourished again.

In 2024, 20,000 weavers are involved in Tangail saree weaving in Nadia and Purba Bardhaman districts of West Bengal.

[11][12][13][14] Criticism started in Bangladesh, when West Bengal's Tangail saree was given a Geographical Indication or GI tag.

[15][16] As per Bangladeshi media, Biswa Bangla Biponi of Kolkata is selling Tangail sarees as Phulia products by taking advantage of the GI tag.