Kolkata: Amid the upheaval in Bangladesh, BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to be “more understanding towards our traditional friends” in what is seen as his advocacy for a “humanitarian approach” in dealing with the people fleeing the neighbouring country.
“Media reports that some Bangladeshi notables who are friendly to India have been turned back at the border by BSF because they didn’t have valid visas. In effect, they were thrown to the wolves. I urge @AmitShahOffice to go beyond niceties & be more understanding towards our traditional friends in Bangladesh,” the former Rajya Sabha MP posted Thursday on ‘X’.
While Dasgupta declined to specify who he termed as “notables”, his remark came in the backdrop of reports stating that the Border Security Force (BSF) prevented former Awami League MP Kamarul Arefin and his family from entering India without a valid visa at the Petrapole-Benapole border.
Upon being sent back, the MP and his family were detained by the Border Guards Bangladesh on Tuesday, according to media reports. But the BSF has not issued any statement regarding this incident so far.
Earlier, Dasgupta had tweeted Tuesday that “Bangladesh has been gifted to the Islamists because of ‘democracy’.”
Speaking to ThePrint, Dasgupta drew the close ties which Bangladesh shares with India, especially West Bengal. “Unless there is stability, the Central government should assist those who need safety because that’s how the tie between the two nations has been.”
“In 1975 when Mujibur (Rahman) was assassinated, the Awami League wasn’t wiped out. So it won’t be wiped out now,” he added.
On Wednesday, the BSF issued a statement on ‘X’, dismissing “rumours” about widespread movement of Bangladeshis.
The BSF North Bengal Frontier effectively managed gatherings of Bangladeshi Nationals near the Indo-Bangladesh border today. With vigilance and coordination with BGB, they ensured safety and prevented any border breaches. #BorderSecurity #BSF #IndiasFirstLineOfDefence pic.twitter.com/m12K1pUydc
— NORTH BENGAL FRONTIER BSF (@BSFNBFTR) August 7, 2024
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar had informed Parliament that the government is in close contact with the Indian community in Bangladesh. “We are also monitoring the situation with regard to the status of minorities. There are reports of initiatives by various groups and organisations to ensure their protection and well-being. We welcome that, but will naturally remain deeply concerned till law and order is visibly restored. Our border guarding forces have also been instructed to be exceptionally alert in view of this complex situation,” he said Tuesday.
The BJP leaders from Bengal like Dilip Ghosh and Samik Bhattacharya have been vocal about their opinion on the upheaval in Bangladesh. While Ghosh justified the imposition of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Bhattacharya asserted that this was an eye-opener for the Hindu population in West Bengal.
In contrast, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee has issued strict instructions to her party leaders to refrain from commenting on the scenario in Bangladesh as it involves diplomatic ties between the two nations. The party, in a rare move, has decided to be on the same page as the Centre on this evolving issue.
Political analyst Udayan Bandopadhyay told ThePrint that the developments in Bangladesh shall have manifold ramifications.
“Once the political question is settled, things will normalise. However, we cannot go through the strict lines of diplomacy under tremendous emotive pressures. We, in Bengal, have many common grounds to share. We cannot abandon these elements altogether. Meanwhile, we will have to remain steadfast in terms of the second line of diplomacy, that is, our cultural exchange. I think that we should keep alert in terms of cultural and social belongings. That would be the only wall to dispel our agony,” the professor of political science at Kolkata’s Bangabasi College, said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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