Support Centre's stand on Bangladesh crisis: CM Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday, made it clear that her party and government will stand by and support any decision of the Union government on external affairs issues over the ongoing crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh.

“We are unable to comment, interfere or take any decision in such a matter. This is entirely a matter of the Union government. All I say is that I am against attacks on people from any religion, be it in our country or anywhere,” the Chief Minister said while addressing the state Assembly on the fourth day of the winter session.

She said she had also spoken to the chief of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Kolkata. Recently, ISKCON monk and spokesperson of Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote Chinmoy Krishna Das, popularly known as Chinmoy Prabhu, was arrested in that country.

On Wednesday night, the ISKCON Kolkata vice-president and spokesperson Radharaman Das informed that the ISKCON Namhatta centre in Shibchar Bangladesh has been forcefully closed down.

This is not the first time that the Chief Minister has claimed that her government will accept any decision taken by the Union government on external affairs issues. She said the same thing when the current crisis broke out in Bangladesh a few months back.

However, on Thursday, the Chief Minister criticised the Union government on the latest Waqf (Amendment) Bill and claimed that if the bill is passed then it will destabilise the Waqf system in the country.

“I think that the Union government should have consulted the state governments concerned on this issue. Even in your state, there are Waqf properties. But we were not discussed. We just came to know of that from media reports. The Union government just issued a notification where stakeholders were asked to point out objections if any. But we were not discussed,” the Chief Minister said.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill has sought an extension on filing the report till the last day of the Budget Session, 2025.