Mamata Banerjee offers shelter to Bangladeshis in distress; BJP criticises decision

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that in the wake of the escalating violence in Bangladesh, she would keep the doors of her state open for people in distress from the neighbouring country and offer them shelter.

Banerjee referred to the United Nations resolution on refugees as justification for her stand over a possible humanitarian crisis that may emerge on account of the severe law and order breakdown that has gripped the neighbouring country over the past few days.

"I should not be speaking on the affairs of Bangladesh since that is a sovereign nation and whatever needs to be said on the issue is the subject matter of the Centre. But I can tell you this, if helpless people come knocking on the doors of West Bengal, we will surely provide them shelter," Banerjee said at the 'Martyrs Day' rally of the TMC in Kolkata.

"That's because there is a United Nations resolution to accommodate refugees in regions adjacent to those in turmoil," the West Bengal chief minister added, while drawing an example of people from Assam who were allowed to live in adjacent Alipurduar district in northern West Bengal for a considerable period during a strife in the Bodoland Territorial Region in the northeastern state.

Assuring all cooperation to West Bengal residents whose relatives may have remained stuck on account of the escalating violence on the other side of the international border, she also extended assistance to Bangladeshis who came to West Bengal but were facing difficulty in returning home. Banerjee also appealed to the people of West Bengal not to get provoked over matters concerning the current situation in Bangladesh.

"We should exercise restraint and not walk into any provocation or excitement on the issue," she stated. The Trinamool Congress supremo also expressed her solidarity with the people who have remained at the receiving end of the ongoing violence in the neighbouring country. "We are sad to see blood getting spilled and my heart goes out to those students who were killed," she said.

Later in the day the chief minister listed out the assistance that the state administration provided to Bangladesh returnees. "Hundreds of students and others are returning to West Bengal/India from trouble-torn Bangladesh. I have asked our state administration to render all help and assistance to the returnees," Banerjee posted on her X handle.

"For instance, around 300 students arrived at (the) Hilli border today and most of them left for their respective destinations safely; 35 of them, however, needed help and we provided them with basic amenities and facilitation assistance. United we stand!" she added.

President of the BJP's West Bengal unit and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar, however, opined that such matters, involving the country's foreign policies, should first be consulted with the Centre before any public statement is made.

"It's true that we are all concerned about the current situation in Bangladesh over which Delhi is keeping a close watch. Our chief minister should not be voicing her opinions on matters involving our country's foreign policies without first consulting the Centre," he said.

BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya lashed out at Banerjee and called her stand an "evil plan to settle illegal Bangladeshis". Taking to X, Malviya posted, "Mamata Banerjee on Odd days - We will not allow Hindu refugees, who came to India to escape religious persecution, to apply for citizenship under CAA and get their legitimate rights. If they insist, we will ask illegal Rohingyas, who vote for the TMC, to burn trains, block roads and kill people. Even days - Bangladeshis are welcome to India."

"Who gave Mamata Banerjee the authority to welcome anyone in India? Immigration and citizenship are exclusively in the Centre's domain. The states have no locus standi. This is part of I.N.D.I Alliance's evil plan to settle illegal Bangladeshis from Bengal to Jharkhand, so that they can win elections," he alleged.

Violence escalated in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka and elsewhere over student protests demanding reforms of the quota system for government jobs. The protesters are demanding an end to a quota system that reserves up to 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971 against Pakistan.

On Sunday, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh scrapped most job quotas that caused the deadly unrest in the country, scaling down government jobs for veterans' descendants to five per cent and ruled that 93 per cent of jobs be allocated on merit.