On Sunday (21st July), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responded to the ongoing violent protests over job quotas and potential humanitarian crises in Bangladesh. The TMC Supremo said that the state will surely keep its door open for ‘helpless people’ who have been affected by violence in the neighbouring country and offer them shelter. Banerjee, who had earlier opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act, cited the UN resolution on refugees for assuring assistance and shelter to Bangladeshis.
Addressing her party’s ‘Martyrs Day’ rally in Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee, speaking in Bengali, said, “I cannot speak anything about Bangladesh as it is another country. The Indian government will speak about that. Jodi asohai manush banglar dorja thokthokai, amra tader asroy debo (But if helpless people knock on the door of Bengal, we will shelter them).”
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, "Don't worry if any of your family members or relatives are in Bangladesh for work or study. We're ready to help them in return back… I can't comment on Bangladesh (issue), as it’s a separate country. Whatever needs to be said, the Indian… pic.twitter.com/tcE0Ogp2xg
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2024
The specific remarks could be heard around 3 hours and 16 minutes into the video shared by the official handle of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).
She added, “That’s because there is a United Nations Resolution to accommodate refugees in regions adjacent to those under turmoil.”
Bengal CM Banerjee assured all cooperation to Bengal residents whose relatives may have remained stuck on account of the escalating violence in Bangladesh. She added that assistance will also be extended to Bangladeshis who came to West Bengal and are facing difficulty in returning home.
Meanwhile, she also issued an appeal to the Bengalis not to get provoked by matters concerning the current situation in Bangladesh. She said, “I will ask everyone not to comment on Bangladesh, not to fall prey to instigations. We have compassion and sympathy for anyone whose blood is shed. We are sad for those people.”
Strikingly, CM Banerjee who has assured assistance to ‘helpless people’ including Bangladeshis in the aftermath of violent protests in Bangladesh, had vehemently opposed the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which was passed by the Indian Parliament.
Since 2020, she repeatedly led anti-CAA protests and coined slogans like ‘Caa Caa chi chi (CAA Shame Shame’, (a reference to CAA shorthand of Citizenship Amendment act). Additionally, in January 2020, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government passed a resolution against CAA in the state assembly. She was accused of fearmongering and provocating a large section of the society, particularly the Muslims, and spreading falsehoods against CAA.
On many occasions, she lied about CAA alleging that it would grant refugee status to citizens, strip them of their voting rights, and govt scheme benefits. “We are ready to shed blood for the country but will not tolerate torture for the country. A uniform civil code is not acceptable. I want harmony among all religions. Your safety. Your life. No NRC, no CAA,” the West Bengal CM had said while addressing a gathering in Kolkata on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr in April 2024.
Mamata Banerjee on
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 21, 2024
Odd days – We will not allow Hindu refugees, who came to India to escape religious persecution, to apply for citizenship under CAA and get their legitimate rights. If they insist, we will ask illegal Rohingyas, who vote for the TMC, to burn trains, block roads… pic.twitter.com/cSMqrkCF4M
Mamata Banerjee again makes ‘Kafir’ jibe during ‘Martyrs Day’ rally
Meanwhile, while addressing the Martyr’s Day rally on Sunday (21st July), she again made the Kafir jibe while attacking his political rivals. She reportedly stated that she is not a Kafir and went on to equate Kafirs with cowards.
Around 3 hours and 7 minutes into the video shared by TMC, Mamata Banerjee said, “Jo darte hai wo marte hai, Jo ladte hai wo Kamyab hote hai, hum darpok nhi hai, hum kafir nhi hai, hum gaddar nhi hai.” (Translation – Those who get scared ends up losing, while those who put up fight achieve victory, we are not coward, we are not kafir or traitor.)
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a public rally today, declares, "She is not a Kafir".
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 21, 2024
She equates Kafirs to being "darpok" or cowards. With Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim by her side, who recently gave an open call to convert everyone to Islam, Mamata Banerjee unabashedly… pic.twitter.com/js0XQtDS1j
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a public rally today, declares, "She is not a Kafir".
— Amit Thakur 🇮🇳 (@Amit_Thakur_BJP) July 21, 2024
She equates Kafirs to being "darpok" or cowards. @MrSinha_ @abhijitmajumder @KanchanGupta @ShefVaidya pic.twitter.com/OJkDLqMj0F
Earlier, she allegedly made kafir jibe on the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi consecrated Ram Lalla’s idol in Ram Mandir.
Addressing the gathering at Park Circus Maidan, she issued a stern warning to those who support or vote for BJP. She said, “Ek bat yaad rakhna, BJP ko madad mat karna, BJP ko agar tum log madad karoge koi to Allah ki kasam aap logo ko koi mafi nhi karega hum to mafi nhi karenge.” (Translated – Do remember one thing, don’t support/assist/vote for BJP. I am swearing on Allah if you help/assist BJP, nobody would forgive you, let alone me.)
In her address at Circus Maidan during the ‘Sarv Dharm Sambhav’ rally, she also reportedly said, “Jo Kafir hain, woh darte hain, Jo ladte hain, woh jeet te hain.”
Kafir is a pejorative jibe used by Islamists to refer to anyone who doesn’t believe in Islam, polytheists, and idol worshippers even calling for direct harm (annihilation of their existence).
However, this is not the first time that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has used the pejorative term. In May 2022, a video of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went viral on social media where she was addressing the crowd on the occasion of Eid. During her address, she said something that sounded like ‘Kafir’. She said, “Let them do what they want. We are not scared. We are not cowards. We are not ‘Kafir’ [possibly]. We fight. We know how to fight. We will fight against them. We will finish them.”
