New Delhi: India on Thursday confirmed that it has received a diplomatic note from Bangladesh protesting over the comments made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, saying her state would offer shelter to the distressed people fleeing from violence-hit Bangladesh.
Bangladesh government has apparently lodged a protest with New Delhi against Banerjee's recent statement."With due respect to the West Bengal Chief Minister, with whom we share a very close relationship, we want to make it clear that her comments have a lot of scope for confusion. Therefore, we have given a note to the Government of India," Hasan Mahmud, Bangladesh Foreign Minister, said about the official note Dhaka sent to New Delhi.
Confirming the same, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "I can confirm that we have received such a communication from the Bangladesh side. It is essentially on the lines described in the reports".
"I would underline that under the 7th Schedule, List 1 - Union List, Item 10, of our Constitution, the conduct of foreign affairs and all matters which bring the Union into relation with any foreign country, are the sole prerogative of the Union Government", added Jaiswal said
Following the violence in Bangladesh, the West Bengal Chief Minister had said if helpless people come knocking on the doors of West Bengal, "we will surely provide them shelter". She had said this at a rally, acknowledging that commenting on foreign issues is really for the Centre.
She further highlighted the United Nation's resolution on refugees for offering shelter to the distressed people. The situation in Bangladesh has been volatile for the past few weeks as severe clashes broke out between the students and police in Dhaka, following the decision of the Bangladesh government to close all private and public universities.
The protests demand immediate reform of the country's quota system for civil service jobs, which currently reserves positions for specific groups, including descendants of those who participated in the 1971 War of Independence against Pakistan.
Furthermore, giving updates on the Indian nationals stranded in Bangladesh amid the protest, the MEA spokesperson said, "We are aware of the situation in Bangladesh and have been closely following the developments there. India considers the ongoing situation in the country to be an internal matter of Bangladesh."
"With the support and cooperation of the Bangladesh government, we were able to arrange for the safe return of our students. Being a close neighbour with whom we share very warm and friendly ties, we are hopeful that the situation in the country would return to normal soon," he added.
He informed that 6700 Indian students have come back from Bangladesh and that India has received excellent cooperation from the Bangladesh government on this matter.
