Trinamool slams centre silence on Bangladesh, BJP hits back

Political party Trinamool Congress on Wednesday questioned the silence of the Indian Union government over attacks on the Hindu population in Bangladesh.

It also warned the ruling political party, BJP, to refrain from pursuing "vulture politics" in Bengal by allegedly trying to fan communal sentiments, NDTV reported.

"Why is the union government, central ministers and even our prime minister are silent on the attack on Hindus in Bangladesh? All of us are concerned about what is going on in that country. "Obviously, we need to maintain good relations with the Sheikh Hasina government, but that does not mean we would not speak out against the atrocities that are going on there," senior MP and TMC spokesperson Sougata Ray said.

"It is shocking that nearly a week has passed, but not a single word was heard from the prime minister, though he had visited a temple in Bangladesh during the West Bengal assembly elections," Ray added.

Meanwhile, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh accused the BJP's West Bengal unit of trying to fan communal sentiments in the state and asked the saffron camp to shun the culture of "vulture politics".

"Some of the BJP leaders is saying that the incident in Bangladesh will benefit the BJP, which means, the BJP is the beneficiary of this atrocious attack on Hindus in Bangladesh. There should be a proper investigation on the role of the beneficiaries also," he said.

The BJP was quick to hit back and asked a counter-question that why Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had not condemned the incident.

"Why is Mamata Banerjee silent on this issue? Is it to please her vote bank in Bengal that TMC has turned a blind eye to the atrocities against the Hindus in the neighbouring country?" state BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said.

Reacting to Bhattacharya's allegation, Roy said why would the chief minister of a state react to issues that could have implications on bilateral ties

Violence had erupted in pockets of Bangladesh over an alleged blasphemy incident at a Durga Puja pavilion at Cumilla. Following this, paramilitary forces were deployed in many affected areas. However, sporadic clashes broke out between the police and fanatics as media reported the vandalization of Hindu temples and Durga puja venues.

At least five persons were killed, and many others were injured in the clashes.