CM Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has suddenly spoken out amid the ongoing violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. Mamta has convened a meeting of Bangladesh’s parliament to demand the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping troops in Bangladesh. This is the first time such a request has been formally made by the Indian Parliament after the coup in Bangladesh. Mamta’s stance is being discussed from Kolkata to Delhi.
Mamta says I have kept silent but now I can’t keep silent anymore. The Center has to take a decision on this. The question is, why did Mamata have to make a statement in Parliament on Bangladesh?
Trinamool scared about situation in Bangladesh
In August 2024, the government of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh was overthrown. Mo. An interim government under Yunus is running there. Since Hasina’s overthrow, Hindus and their thinkers have been suppressed in Bangladesh. This move by Bangladesh frightened Mamata. There are three more reasons for fear——
1. Whenever a bloody rebellion breaks out in Bangladesh, the Bangladeshi government is affected. In 1964, Bangladesh (then Pakistan) experienced its first large-scale violence. Bangladesh had a Congress government at that time. The Chief Minister is Senator Prafulla Chandra.
Due to the violence in Bangladesh, a large number of refugees have arrived in Bangladesh. Refugees became a big problem for the Congress government. In the 1967 elections, the Congress party lost the elections in Bengal because of this issue. For the first time, Bengal has formed a non-Congress government under the leadership of Ajay Mukherjee.
After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, in 1975, large-scale violence broke out in Bangladesh. To avoid the violence, people started fleeing to Bangladesh. It is said that about 10 million refugees came to India from Bangladesh at that time, and most of them stayed in Bangladesh.
In the 1977 parliamentary elections, the CPM led by Jyotiba Basu placed the issue of the residence of these refugees in an important position. It had repercussions around Calcutta, and the Congress government in Bengal was overthrown. CPM’s Jyoti Basu was appointed as chief minister.
2. The second reason for fear of the Bangladesh problem is the Hindu problem. West Bengal’s Muslim population accounts for about 28%. About 70 percent of the people here are Hindus. In the 2021 elections, the BJP accused Mamata of appeasement of Muslims, but in that election, Mamata defeated the BJP.
The BJP is trying to make violence against Hindus in Bangladesh a big issue at the local level. Due to this concern, Mamta has taken the issue to the Center.
3. The Sangh’s expansion in Bengal was also a major cause of Mamata’s fears. In 2011, there were only 511 Sangh branches in the entire state of West Bengal, and this number has increased to about 3,000 in 2023. The Sangh has continuously condemned atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh.
In this situation, Mamta felt that she might suffer direct losses if she remained silent on the issue, so she called Parliament and demanded intervention in the Bangladesh issue.
Mamta also developed this strategy
Mamata has prepared a grand strategy to put the BJP at a disadvantage in the Bengal issue. Mamta will speak separately on this issue. The TMC supremo gave instructions to all leaders in this regard during core committee and legislative meetings.
Only Mamata can decide when and what to say on the Bangladesh issue. Leaders will repeat this. It is alleged that the TMC top leader took this decision to avoid lobbying for any party.
Meanwhile, Mamata is also pressing Bengal BJP leaders on the issue. He said at the conference, why did the local leaders not suggest that the Center issue a statement on this?
Bangladesh to hold elections in 18 months
Bangladesh plans to hold parliamentary elections in May 2026. This means there are only 18 months left before the parliamentary elections. The main contest is between Bengal BJP and Mamata. However, the major party alliance of the Republic of Malaya will also make full efforts to enter this field.
While Mamata is trying to return to power for the fourth time, the BJP is trying to wave saffron here for the first time. Bangladesh has 294 parliamentary seats and requires 148 members to form a government.
