BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has condemned remarks made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Bangladesh, calling them a threat to the country's independence and sovereignty and demanding an immediate retraction of the statement.
Speaking to the media from London on Monday over the phone, Fakhrul said: “I saw a news report in the morning where the chief minister of West Bengal made comments about Bangladesh. Her statement regarding sending peacekeeping forces to Bangladesh is a direct threat to our sovereignty. We believe her remarks reveal the mindset of some leaders in India.”
Fakhrul added: “I believe Mamata Banerjee’s statement should be retracted immediately. Such thoughts should not even be entertained. The people of Bangladesh fought for independence in the Liberation War, and recently, through a revolution, they restored democracy. The people of this country will stand firm against any such conspiracies at any cost.”
During the West Bengal Legislative Assembly’s winter session on Monday, Mamata Banerjee expressed concerns about ensuring the safety of religious minorities in Bangladesh and even called for personal intervention from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
NDTV reported that Banerjee raised this issue following the arrest of three priests from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) in Bangladesh.
Fakhrul also addressed the misleading reports being spread in Indian media about communal harmony in Bangladesh, saying: “The stories being propagated in the Indian media about religious harmony being damaged in Bangladesh are completely unacceptable.”
He added: “We have repeatedly said that journalists from India, including prominent ones from West Bengal, have visited Bangladesh and seen that no such situation exists. Yet, the way the Indian media and its leaders are spreading these false narratives and threatening Bangladesh’s sovereignty and independence is something the people of Bangladesh will never accept.
“The recent remarks about Iskcon in Bangladesh are very unfortunate. Any new conspiracies involving them will never be accepted by the people of Bangladesh. It is clear that Iskcon’s recent role is highly suspicious and poses a threat to the sovereignty, stability, and independence of Bangladesh.”
