Mamata Banerjee seeks UN intervention in Bangladesh crisis

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Monday, sought the intervention of the United Nations (UN) in the ongoing crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh. She also floated a proposal for the Union government to consider peacekeeping forces in Bangladesh following the UN intervention. “These are my proposals. Let the Prime Minister give a statement on the matter and seek UN intervention,” the Chief Minister said after mentioning these two proposals on the floor of the state Assembly.

She also explained the reasons for the proposals. “I do not want to speak about illegal infiltrations. This is entirely a matter of the Union government and we always accept the central decisions in the matter. But, the Union government has been silent on the Bangladesh issue for the last ten days. The ruling party (in India) here is demanding the sealing of borders and stopping the supply of food. We can do that if the Union government wants us to do that,” the Chief Minister said. Through her statement in the House, the Chief Minister reiterated her earlier stand on this issue when she said that her government and party would support whatever stand was taken by the Union government on Bangladesh.

Her statements on the floor of the House came a day after a senior official of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), on Sunday evening, claimed that the international peace bodies, including the UN, were indifferent to the attacks and atrocities on minority Hindus in Bangladesh, especially the ISKCON monks. Speaking on Monday, the Chief Minister also said if the Union government allows it she will have no problem giving shelter to people coming from Bangladesh. She also criticized the incident of insulting the Indian Tricolour in Bangladesh. She also said that if the Centre feels it is necessary an Indian representative can be sent to Bangladesh for discussions.