Mamata mocks Rizvi over 'occupy Bengal, Odisha' threat: 'And will we have lollipops?'
Mamata Banerjee said West Bengal will follow the guidelines of the ministry of external affairs on the current Bangladesh issue
India's West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday took a dig at remarks by some Bangladeshi politicians, who said the country has legitimate claims over Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, and wondered whether Indians "would have lollipop" when external forces would try to occupy Indian lands.
Speaking in the West Bengal assembly, Mamata Banerjee urged people to stay calm and not react to provocative statements from Bangladesh. The Bengal CM reassured that her state would support any decision taken by the Indian government.
Mocking the provocative claims, Mamata Banerjee emphasised the need for peace and unity, adding, "Stay calm, stay healthy, and maintain peace of mind."
Her comments followed a statement by BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, asserting the country's supposed claim over parts of India. Banerjee highlighted that even imams in West Bengal condemned the remarks and recent attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, reinforcing the state's solidarity against divisive rhetoric.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
She urged communities to work together to prevent tensions in West Bengal, stressing that the state has been a frontrunner in collective protests against the situation in Bangladesh, cutting across religious and communal lines.
"The same blood flows in the veins of Hindus and Muslims and all other communities. We must all work together to ensure nothing is done to aggravate the situation in West Bengal," she said in the Bengal assembly.
"West Bengal is the first state in the country where people irrespective of caste, creed or community staged collective protest against the situation in Bangladesh," the chief minister said.
Asking everyone, including her political rivals, not to do anything that might aggravate the situation, the Trinamool Congress supremo also urged media houses to act responsibly while commenting on the situation in the neighbouring country.
'Bengal is not Uttar Pradesh': Mamata Banerjee
"West Bengal is not Uttar Pradesh that we will ban your telecast. But act responsibly in the interest of West Bengal and its people. If trouble breaks out here, will it not affect you? Similarly, if the situation worsens in Bangladesh, it will affect our relatives and friends there. Hence, please maintain restraint while commenting on the situation," Banerjee said.
The West Bengal chief minister said her government and party, the Trinamool Congress, will follow the guidelines of the ministry of external affairs and will not speak out of turn.
"Our foreign secretary is in Bangladesh for talks. Let us not speak more than what is required. Let us wait for the outcome. We are responsible citizens. Our country is united," she said.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Bangladesh
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday held talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Jashim Uddin, amid strained bilateral ties since August following the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Misri arrived in Dhaka earlier in the day on an Indian Air Force jet for a day-long visit. It is the first high-level visit from New Delhi since a massive uprising ended Hasina's 15-year rule in August.
