Mamata Banerjee's remarks on providing shelter to the 'helpless people from Bangladesh’ have been called ‘provocative’ by its government in a protest to the High Commission of India, according to reports.
The High Commission was told that West Bengal chief minister's statement on the ‘internal affairs' of Bangladesh, also contained ‘inaccuracies,’ and that the authorities in capital Dhaka and elsewhere, were trying to restore ‘normalcy.’
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The development comes after Dr Mohammed Hasan Mahmud, the neighbouring country's foreign minister and a senior member of the ruling Awami League party, said that the words of Banerjee, whose state shares border with Bangladesh, could create ‘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 in an interaction with the press.
Earlier, while speaking about Bangladesh's student-led anti-quota movement, which turned violent last week, Banerjee declared that her state will provide shelter to ‘helpless people who come knocking on our doors.’
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, while speaking about Bangladesh's student-led anti-quota movement, which turned violent last week, Banerjee declared that her state will provide shelter to ‘helpless people who come knocking on our doors.’
{{/usCountry}}The West Bengal CM, who was addressing her Trinamool Congress' (TMC) annual July 21 Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata, cited a UN resolution to justify her ‘offer.’
“That is because of a United Nations resolution to accommodate refugees in regions adjacent to the ones under turmoil,” she asserted.
Her remarks came on a day when, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, in an urgent hearing, refused to strike down the quota in civil services jobs, but scaled back the reservation for the kin of the 1971 Liberation War veterans – the biggest bone of contention – from 30% to just 5% – while 93% of jobs (up from 44%) will now be allocated on merit. The remaining 2% (earlier 26%) jobs will be set aside for specific groups, including ethnic minorities, transgenders, and the disabled.
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The quota was withdrawn in 2018 by the South Asian nation following mass student protests, but was reinstated by a high court in June this year, leading to the latest agitation. However, it was prime minister Sheikh Hasina's ‘Razakar’ comment that angered the students, and led to the escalation in protests.