‘Have excellent ties with Mamata Banerjee, but…’: Bangladesh reacts to ‘shelter’ offer
The Bangladesh government on Tuesday said it has sent a note to the Indian government over West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s statement that she would offer shelter to the ‘helpless people’ from the neighbouring country, local media reported. Bangladesh foreign minister Hasan Mahmud said Mamata Banerjee’s remarks could create confusion and mislead people.
“With due respect to (West Bengal) chief minister Mamata Banerjee, I would like to say, we have excellent relations with her. We have deep relations. But her remarks created confusion to some extent, and there is scope to be misled,” Hasan Mahmud said, United News of Bangladesh reported.
The statement comes a day after Mamata Banerjee, while addressing the annual Martyrs’ Day rally of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata, offered to provide shelter to the people of Bangladesh, which has been witnessing violent student-led protests against reservations in its civil services.
“I should not speak on the affairs of Bangladesh as it is a sovereign nation, and whatever needs to be said on the issue is subject matter of the Centre. But I can tell you this, if helpless people come knocking on our doors, we will surely provide them shelter,” Banerjee had said.
The chief minister had also urged the people of Bangladesh not to get ‘provoked’ over matters regarding the situation in Bangladesh.
Her remarks were also criticised by West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who also reminded the West Bengal government that the Centre has the prerogative to handle anything related to external affairs.
According to the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, Bose also sought a report from chief minister Mamata Banerjee on her statement.
Violent protest in Bangladesh
Bangladesh saw violent clashes between the police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to a controversial quota system that reserved 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971.
Over 130 people were reportedly killed in the protest, even though no official tally has been announced yet. A curfew was imposed, and the Army was deployed across Bangladesh.
The controversial quota system was scaled down by the country’s Supreme Court on Monday, meeting a key demand of the protestors.