Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 6: The West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was criticised by the state BJP leaders last month for commenting on the Bangladesh violence, said on Tuesday that she would act as per the instructions from the Government of India as the situation in the neighbouring country bordering with her state remained volatile.
Ms Banerjee received flaks last month for promising to help those who might knock on the state’s doors for fleeing from the violence-ridden country. The BJP leadership was critical for her comment on the affairs of another country which was an exclusive domain of the central government.
Ms Banerjee appealed to the people in the state belonging to different communities to maintain peace and avoid any provocation. “I would appeal to all citizens of all communities in West Bengal to maintain peace and avoid all forms of provocation and refrain from taking law into your hands,” the Chief Minister told media persons in the State Assembly, pointing out that the state has a sizeable population of Bengali-speaking Muslims with many of them having links with Bangladesh.
The Trinamool Congress chairperson said impact of events in a neighbouring country was sure to be felt in the State. She particularly cautioned leaders of political parties not to post anything that will incite communal passions.
Ms Banerjee said she would act as per instructions from the Government of India. The Chief Minister also said since Bangladesh was a separate country, the Ministry of External Affairs would comment on it. Ms Banerjee’s comments came after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country. The neighbouring country has witnessed protests for the past several weeks and the violence has claimed hundreds of lives.
“Given the current situation in neighbouring Bangladesh, we have noticed a few posts and videos on social media that may create discord and unrest. Please do not pay attention to rumours, do not share provocative videos, and do not step into a fake news trap. The State administration is alert and vigilant. Keep calm and maintain peace,” West Bengal Police said in a post on X.
India share a 4,096-km border with Bangladesh of which 2,216 km of border lies in West Bengal. Border Security Force personnel guarding the Indian borders have been put on high alert. Patrolling by the border-guarding forces was witnessed along the Land Custom Station and integrated checkpoint at Petrapole border. The border is considered porous since a considerable part of the border is riverine. The Director-General of the BSF, Daljit Singh Chaudhury along with senior BSF officers including Ravi Gandhi, Additional D-G, East, and Maninder Pratap Singh, IG, South Bengal Frontier, made a visit to the Indo-Bangladesh border in the Sundarban areas.
Meanwhile, Sharmishtha Mukherjee, daughter of the former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, wished a peaceful stay for the deposed Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina with whom she shared strong family ties. “Stay safe and strong, Hasina Aunty. Tomorrow is another day. My prayers are with you” — she said in a post on “X.”
Between 1975 and 1981, Ms Hasina stayed in New Delhi after the brutal assassination of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and several other members of her family. At that time, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had sheltered the surviving members of the clan in New Delhi and tasked the then minister in her cabinet Pranab Mukherjee with their welfare, a task he and his wife Suvra undertook with diligence and care.
Ms Hasina referred to Suvra as “boudi” (the Bangla term for sister-in-law) and the two bonded over music, poetry and other interests. Reeling from grief, Ms Hasina was brought into the family circle of the Mukherjees, something she held onto much after.
In 2010, on a state visit to India, Ms Hasina broke protocol to visit Suvra at the Mukherjee residence; it was said to have made Pranab, the then Finance Minister and a stickler for protocol, uncomfortable. In 2015, Ms Hasina met with the Mukherjee family to condole the death of Suvra. Ms Sharmishtha Mukherjee referred to Ms Hasina as her “guardian” after the demise of her mother.
For Ms Hasina, twice exiled now, the situation is more political than the personal trauma of losing more than half her family to an assassin’s bullets in the 1970s. In New Delhi, however, among the members of the Mukherjee family, personal ties still stand.