As tensions rise between New Delhi and Dhaka, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called upon the media and political leaders to keep calm and avoid provocative remarks that may disturb peace in the border state. Speaking in the Assembly, the Trinamool Congress chief said, “Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, or Christians don’t start riots. Anti-social elements are responsible for such violence.”
Banerjee, however, did raise the need for solidarity between communities, saying both Hindus and Muslims in Bengal have joined the protest against the injustices that happen across the border. “That shows our secular nature,” she said, adding one had to be united if any injustice happened.
Appeal for rallies by leaders of minority communities, she asked them not to do so, since that would lead to opportunity to opportunists and spread mischief. “We want peace, not riots. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians all belong to the same blood group,” she said.
The Chief Minister appealed for restraint on the part of the media in their reporting about Bangladesh, warning against fake videos and inflammatory narratives. “This is not Uttar Pradesh or Rajasthan where we would impose bans or arrests,” she said, reiterating the need for vigilance among both communities.
Banerjee said there is an influx of people from Bangladesh who want to come to West Bengal. However, she added that the BSF is monitoring the borders. She then said the state government does not interfere in matters relating to external affairs. Reacting to provocative statements from Bangladeshi leaders, she said with firmness that any occupation of territory was not possible, and “Don’t even think that.”
The utterances of Banerjee are politically significant in the background of changing political equations in Bengal, where the BJP, under Suvendu Adhikari, is trying to consolidate the party’s support with the political card of Hindu minorities’ persecution in Bangladesh. These comments by Banerjee were an attempt at diffusing the opposition’s propaganda while presenting her party as composed and on the job of maintaining harmony in the state.
