Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata: Bangladesh has officially protested remarks made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about providing shelter to “helpless people from Bangladesh.” The comments were deemed “provocative” by the Bangladeshi government, which lodged a complaint with the High Commission of India, according to reports.
The Bangladeshi authorities argued that Banerjee’s statement about the internal affairs of their country contained inaccuracies. They emphasized that the government in Dhaka and other regions were working to restore normalcy.
Dr. Mohammed Hasan Mahmud, Bangladesh’s foreign minister and a senior member of the ruling Awami League party, expressed concerns that Banerjee’s remarks could cause confusion and mislead people. “With due respect to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, I would like to say, we have excellent relations with her. But her comments created confusion to some extent, and there is a scope to be misled,” Mahmud stated during a press interaction.
Banerjee’s comments came in the context of the student-led anti-quota movement in Bangladesh, which had turned violent the previous week. She declared that West Bengal would offer shelter to those in need, citing a United Nations resolution as justification. “That is because of a United Nations resolution to accommodate refugees in regions adjacent to the ones under turmoil,” Banerjee asserted while addressing her Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) annual July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata.
Her remarks coincided with a significant judicial decision in Bangladesh. The Supreme Court, during an urgent hearing, refused to eliminate the quota in civil service jobs. However, it did scale back the reservation for the kin of the 1971 Liberation War veterans from 30% to 5%, reallocating 93% of jobs based on merit. The remaining 2% of jobs will be reserved for specific groups, including ethnic minorities, transgenders, and the disabled.
The quota system had been withdrawn in 2018 following mass student protests but was reinstated by a high court in June this year, leading to the latest round of agitation. The protests escalated following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s controversial “Razakar” comment, which further inflamed the situation.
