Will take back Bangladeshi citizens staying in India illegally if evidence provided: Dhaka official
Kolkata, Dec 17: An advisor to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the country will take back any citizen of the neighbouring nation staying in India illegally if the evidence is provided.
The issue of the amended Citizenship Act is an internal matter of India, Advisor to Hasina on international affairs, Gauhar Rizvi, said here.
"We will take back any Bangladeshi citizen staying in India illegally. But India has to prove that. This is a standard procedure. I think there is no need to build up an issue on this," Rizvi told reporters.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen had on Sunday said his country has requested India to provide a list of any Bangladesh nationals living illegally in the country and it will allow them to return.
Rizvi said Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Buddhists co-exist peacefully in Bangladesh.
On the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Rizvi said, "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured us that there is no reason for Bangladesh to worry."
He said Bangladesh has set an example for being a pluralistic, secular and democratic society.
"We have never deviated from that commitment," the senior official said.
Bangladesh would not have been liberated in 1971 without India's assistance, said Rizvi who is in the city on the occasion of the Vijay Diwas.
The Vijay Diwas marks the Indian military's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and the creation of Bangladesh.
Rizvi said, "Our friendship is continuing for the past 50 years. India is always with us, will be in future also."
There are very few examples in the world where people of one nation had shed blood for another country's liberation, he said.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
