The Bangladesh government officially registered its protest on Tuesday over West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent statement offering shelter to helpless people from violence-hit Bangladesh. In response, Bangladesh has sent an official note to New Delhi regarding the matter.
"With due respect to the West Bengal Chief Minister, with whom we share a very close relationship, we want to make it clear that her comments have a lot of scope for confusion. Therefore, we have given a note to the Government of India," Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud reportedly stated in the letter according to an India Today report.
Mamata Banerjee's Statement On Offering Shelter To Refugees
On July 21, amid escalating violence and protests in Bangladesh, Mamata Banerjee declared that West Bengal would keep its doors open for people in distress from the neighbouring country and offer them shelter. She emphasized that while commenting on foreign issues is the domain of the Central Government, the state would not turn away those in need.
"If helpless people come knocking on the doors of West Bengal, we will surely provide them shelter," she said at a rally, citing the United Nations resolution on refugees as justification for her stance. "That's because there is a United Nations resolution to accommodate refugees in regions adjacent to those in turmoil," Banerjee added.
West Bengal Governor On Banerjee's Comments
In response, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose sought a report from Banerjee on her comments. The Raj Bhavan stated that handling foreign affairs is the Centre's prerogative. "A public statement by a Chief Minister undertaking the responsibility to provide shelter to people who may be coming in from a foreign nation implies Constitutional transgression of a very serious nature," stated the Governor's office on Monday.
About Students' Protest In Bangladesh
The backdrop of this controversy is the escalating violence in Bangladesh, particularly in the capital Dhaka, where protests demanding reforms to the quota system for government jobs have turned deadly. Students have been at the forefront of these protests, with clashes occurring between those supporting the reforms and those backing the Sheikh Hasina government. The protests, ongoing for over a month, intensified last week following police action at Dhaka University, leading to further clashes and casualties.
