New Delhi: BJP National Spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, on Monday, alleged that suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir is acting as an agent of the ruling party and that the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee deliberately encouraged him to float a new political outfit to create polarisation among voters.
His remarks came after Kabir, the suspended Trinamool Congress MLA from the Bharatpur Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, announced the launch of his new political party, named the Janata Unnayan Party, earlier in the day.
Speaking to IANS, Hussain said that the move was part of a well-planned strategy by the Trinamool Congress to retain its minority vote base.
“Humayun Kabir is an agent of the Trinamool Congress. Mamata Banerjee deliberately got him to form a party to create polarisation, so that Muslim voters who are unhappy with her do not shift to the Opposition but instead move separately. This entire script has been written by Mamata Banerjee,” he told IANS.
Hussain also accused the Trinamool Congress of indulging in vote bank politics.
“The Trinamool Congress is conspiring to create polarisation so that it can secure votes in bulk. Mamata Banerjee is doing vote bank politics, and the people of the state will give a befitting reply to the Trinamool Congress,” he said.
The BJP Spokesperson also commented on the situation in Bangladesh, condemning acts of violence allegedly carried out by extremist elements there.
“What jihadists have done in Bangladesh is shameful. Muslims across the world should stand up and condemn it. These acts have brought disgrace to Islam. Such barbaric people, who wear the cloak of Muslims, are enemies of humanity,” he said.
Hussain also claimed that the worst impact of such violence is borne by those who genuinely follow Islam.
He added that the Indian government has expressed concern over the situation and that the Bangladesh government should take strict action.
He also noted that former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has criticised the violence in her country.
The remarks come amid a series of disturbing incidents in Bangladesh.
One such incident involved the brutal killing of a Hindu man Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched by a mob following allegations of blasphemy at the garment factory where he worked.
According to reports, on the night of December 18, Das was beaten to death, his body hung from a tree and set on fire after accusations that he had insulted Islam.
However, Bangladeshi authorities have said there is no evidence to support the blasphemy claims.
Company Commander of RAB-14 in Mymensingh, Md Samsuzzaman, told leading Bangladeshi daily ‘The Daily Star’ that investigators found no proof that the deceased had posted or said anything offensive.
“No evidence was found indicating that the deceased had written anything on Facebook that might have hurt religious sentiments,” he said, adding that neither locals nor factory workers could confirm the allegations.
Samsuzzaman also said that no one had personally heard or seen Das insult religion and that he was forcibly pushed out of the factory during rising tensions to protect the premises.
He confirmed that seven people have been taken into custody so far, including two initially detained after videos of the incident went viral.
Meanwhile, security concerns have also affected Indian diplomatic operations in Bangladesh.
Following a violent incident outside the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chittagong, Indian visa services at the Indian Visa Application Centre in the port city have been suspended from Sunday until further notice.
Officials said visa services would resume only after a review of the security situation.
The decision followed clashes outside the Indian High Commission office on Friday, which left at least four people injured, including two police personnel.
According to local media, the unrest erupted after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, Spokesperson of the radical group ‘Inqilab Mancha’, with protesters allegedly vandalising parts of the Indian mission premises.
The unfolding developments have raised serious concerns over safety, communal harmony, and regional stability.
Another student leader-led National Citizen Party (NCP) was shot by miscreants in Bangladesh’s Khulna on Monday, just days after the killing of radical Islamist leader Sharif Osman Hadi, as the violence continues to grip the South Asian nation.
According to local media reports, the injured was identified as 42-year-old Mohammad Motaleb Sikder, who was serving as the Khulna divisional chief of the NCP and a central organiser of NCP Sramik Shakti.
(IANS)
