Mamata’s message for Bangladesh protesters likely to miff both Delhi and Dhaka

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday sought to play to the gallery across the border amid the oft-repeated allegations of her throwing a spanner in India-Bangladesh ties.

Reacting to the ongoing crisis in Bangladesh, in which over a hundred have been killed, Mamata said doors of her state are open to distressed people from Bangladesh who would seek refuge in West Bengal.

She was speaking at the Trinamool Congress’s annual July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata.

Touching a raw nerve

“I should not be speaking on the internal matters of Bangladesh. The government of India will say whatever needs to be said on the issue. But I can say that if helpless people come knocking at our doors, we will surely provide them with shelter,” she told a mammoth gathering in Kolkata.

To justify her stand, she stated that even the United Nations recognises the right of refugees to seek shelter in the neighbouring country at the time of a humanitarian crisis.

Her assertion might not only hold a red rag to the BJP-led central government but also touch a raw nerve of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in Bangladesh.

BJP’s stand on migrants

The BJP accuses the ruling TMC of being complacent about what it calls unabated influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, claiming that the alleged phenomenon has been changing the demographic profile of West Bengal.

The BJP government at the Centre is also not very sympathetic towards the Rohingya refugees, who have taken shelter in India fleeing persecution in their home country Myanmar.

Hence, there is no doubt that the Centre would not be very welcoming of Mamata’s call to give shelter to Bangladeshi refugees.

Evil plan: BJP 

The BJP flayed Mamata’s offer, terming it an “evil plan” of the INDIA bloc to settle illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country to Jharkhand to win the elections.

BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, also questioned her authority to offer shelter to anyone coming from another country, saying immigration and citizenship are exclusively in the Centre’s domain, and that states have no locus standi in such matters.

Malviya wrote in a post on X, “Who gave Mamata Banerjee the authority to welcome anyone in India? Immigration and citizenship are exclusively in the Centre’s domain. The states have no locus-standi.”

“This is part of I.N.D.I Alliance’s evil plan to settle illegal Bangladeshis from Bengal to Jharkhand, so that they can win elections,” he added.

Reaching out to protesters

Mamata’s assertion essentially meant she would give shelter to the protesting Bangladeshi nationals, who would need to flee their country in the event of any government crackdown.

“She is clearly trying to directly reach out to the people of Bangladesh, or to be more precise, to the protesters,” said Md Saduddin, a political commentator and a Bangladesh watcher.

Her outreach assumes further significance, as she is often portrayed by the ruling class in Bangladesh as a stumbling block for further improving India-Bangladesh ties.

A well-wisher

The Sheikh Hasina government often gets flak for not being able to sign a Teesta water-sharing deal with India. Since the deal has not materialized due to opposition from the West Bengal government, a coldness has developed in relations between the West Bengal chief minister and the Bangladesh prime minister, who had earlier shared excellent personal rapport.

Mamata, with her offer of refuge, has tried to send a message to the protestors in Bangladesh that they could count her as one of their well-wishers.

She has also extended empathy for those killed in the anti-quota violence in the neighbouring country over the last week. “We have our empathy for those whose blood was shed. We are sad for them,” she said.

Message for Indians

Mamata added that her government would extend all possible help to bring back Indian citizens stuck in Bangladesh.

She also called upon the people of the state not to fall prey to any instigation.

During the day, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court watered down the job quota amid the violent unrest, ordering that 93 per cent of government jobs be allotted on the basis of merit, setting aside 5 per cent for descendants of freedom fighters who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, and 2 per cent for other categories.

Children of war veterans hitherto enjoyed 30 per cent reservation of the total reserved quota of 56 per cent for various designated categories.