Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her suggestion to deploy United Nations (UN) peacekeepers in Bangladesh to protect minorities, particularly Hindus.
Commenting on Banerjee's proposal, Tharoor pointed out that the West Bengal CM might not fully understand the role of peacekeepers. Speaking to news agency PTI, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram explained that it is uncommon for the UN to deploy peacekeepers in any country, and such a request must come from that country's government.
"If required, let an international peacekeeping force be sent to Bangladesh after talking to the (interim) government there to help them restore normalcy," Tharoor said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
"I am not sure if she fully understands the role of UN peacekeepers. Having worked in UN peacekeeping myself, for many years, I can tell you that UN peacekeepers are very rarely sent inside any country except for the request by any country," he added.
On Monday, Banerjee proposed deploying United Nations (UN) peacekeepers in Bangladesh to ensure the safety of minorities, particularly Hindus. She also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action on the issue.
Her suggestions were made amidst reports of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. "These are my proposals. Let the Prime Minister give a statement on the matter and seek UN intervention," the Chief Minister stated during a session in the state Assembly, as reported by news agency IANS.
Criticizing the Centre, Banerjee noted that the Union government has remained silent on the Bangladesh issue for the past ten days. However, she assured that her government would back the Centre's efforts to curb illegal immigration. "I do not want to speak about illegal infiltrations. This is entirely a matter of the Union government, and we always accept the central decisions in the matter," she said.
Banerjee criticized the Union government, stating, "The Union government has been silent on the Bangladesh issue for the last ten days. The ruling party (in India) here is demanding the sealing of borders and stopping the supply of food. We can do that if the Union government wants us to do that," she said, as quoted by IANS.
Banerjee's remarks came shortly after the arrest of ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das by Bangladesh's interim government, which also filed a sedition case against him. On Sunday, a senior ISKCON official alleged that international peace organizations, including the UN, have shown indifference to the ongoing attacks and atrocities against minority Hindus in Bangladesh, particularly ISKCON monks.
Adding to the concerns, Radharamn Das, Vice President and Spokesperson of ISKCON Kolkata, claimed on Saturday that two more Hindu priests had been arrested in Bangladesh.