The Bharatiya Janata Party has put a “gag order” on its West Bengal unit regarding the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh, News18 has learnt. The central leadership was concerned about statements coming from different leaders of its state unit hurting bilateral relations between the two countries, said sources.
According to the sources, a senior general secretary of the BJP informally issued the gag order, prohibiting even senior state leaders from speaking on the matter. This development comes close on the heels of BJP’s West Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari making a sensational claim that the state should be ready for 1 crore Hindu refugees from Bangladesh which witnessed a regime change. Minorities in Bangladesh are facing targeted violence, including the Hindu community which constitutes 8% of the population.
“The Hindu minority is being killed in Bangladesh. The councillor of Rangpur was killed. In Sirajganj, 13 policemen were killed, out of whom nine were Hindus. Get ready, 1 crore Bangladeshi Hindus will be coming to Bengal,” said Adhikari, surprising even many of his party colleagues. He went a step further and urged chief minister Mamata Banerjee and governor CV Ananda Bose to speak to the Centre about the issue.
Soon after the informal gag order was issued, Suvendu Adhikari came to Delhi to meet party president JP Nadda and union home minister Amit Shah. However, Adhikari dismissed any suggestion that he was summoned to Delhi. On the contrary, he said, he came to share his concerns about Bangladesh with Shah and had sought an appointment. He maintained that his meeting with Nadda pertained to party affairs.
“I came to express my concerns about attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. The home minister has assured me saying that the Centre is alert to ensure no further damage happens to them,” the Bengal BJP leader said in Delhi.
Adhikari’s sudden statement in Bengal about asking the CM and governor to get ready for one crore refugees was quickly followed by a rare agreement between chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the Centre, where she left any approach to the issue of Bangladesh to the union government. The CM said publicly, “The Government of India will decide on how to approach this issue and I appeal to leaders of all political parties to refrain from making provocative comments that may disrupt peace in Bengal or the country … Some BJP leaders have already commented on it. It should not be done.”
The gag order by the powerful BJP general secretary came soon after that, said sources.
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