Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed concern over the current political situation in Bangladesh and urged the Union Government’s initiative for deployment of United Nations’ peacekeeping force in troubled Bangladesh.
” We cannot say anything on Bangladesh affairs but our stand has been clarified that whatever the Centre decides on Bangladesh we are with New Delhi,” Banerjee said in the West Bengal assembly adding,”We can accomodate people if anyone one to come and share out food together.”
She also said if the situation demanded the state assembly could send a proposal to the Centre for the deployment of an international peacekeeping mission to restore normalcy and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action to rescue and rehabilitate persecuted Indians from Bangladesh.
Banerjee also sought the Indian External Affairs Minister make a statement in Parliament during the session on India’s stance regarding the situation in Bangladesh. “If the Prime Minister is unavailable to address this issue, the External Affairs Minister could make a
statement of the country’s stance on the Bangladesh situation.”
The chief minister said they have no jurisdiction over the bilateral matters of the neighbouring country, but the recent political developments forced her to seek New Delhi’s initiative so that people like ISKCON and other communities can live peacefully from danger.
She said she already phoned the ISKCON officials in Kolkata after the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das and other ISKCON monks in Bangladesh.
She said India should ask the UN to send its peacekeeping force to restore peace there. “We do not want any religious confrontation and everyone should live in peace and freedom to preach their respective faith,” Banerjee said.
Expressing concern she said if the current situation continues in Bangladesh then our people must return safely and if necessary share a meal a day.
” We do not want our people to be tortured there,” Banerjee added.
