Ask Bangladesh to protect Hindus, BJP tells Centre
GUWAHATI: The Assam unit of BJP on Monday demanded that the Centre should ask the Bangladesh government to stop attacks on Hindus by Jamaat-e-Islami activists after a special court in the country convicted leaders of the fundamentalist group of 1971 war crimes.
The saffron party's demand came on a day when BJP activists' attempt to cross the India-Bangladesh international border was foiled by the state police and Border Security Force (BSF) at Akhaura in Tripura. BJP on Monday planned the march from Akhaura to Dhaka by crossing the international border in protest against the attacks on Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
Tripura Police and BSF stopped about 100 BJP activists when they came close to the border gate at Akhaura. Later, the activists took out a protest march in Agartala, the state capital. Assam BJP spokesperson Yadav Doloi criticized the Centre for allegedly not taking up the matter of attack on Hindus with Bangladesh yet.
"We are very sorry to say that even when President Pranab Mukherjee was in Dhaka recently, he did not utter a single word about the attacks on Hindus. The Hindus in Bangladesh are a minority and the government of that country should provide security to the minority. Even our central government did not show any sensitivity when Hindus were attacked in the neighbouring country," alleged Doloi.
He said that New Delhi should immediately take up the matter with Dhaka for ensuring safety of the Hindus in the neighbouring country. "The silence of Centre on the attacks on Hindus and their property is surprising," added Doloi.
According to reports from Bangladesh, recently activists of Jamaat and its student affiliate Islami Chatra Shibir attacked Hindu houses and temples in Chittagong district after a a special tribunal awarded death penalty to Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee for the war crimes during the country's freedom struggle in 1971.
The Assam BJP has also announced a stir on April 6 in protest against the India-Bangladesh land-swap agreement signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in 2011.
"We are against the agreement and we will oppose any move on exchanging land with Bangladesh. We cannot allow Assam's land to be handed over to Bangladesh," said BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami.
At the national level, too, BJP has put up a strong stand against the agreement, saying that it would oppose the bill on the agreement comes in Parliament.
Also the agreement sought to solve the issue of land which are in "adverse possession' of both the countries. According to the state government, Assam will get 1240 acres against ceding away of 183 acres land.
The saffron party's demand came on a day when BJP activists' attempt to cross the India-Bangladesh international border was foiled by the state police and Border Security Force (BSF) at Akhaura in Tripura. BJP on Monday planned the march from Akhaura to Dhaka by crossing the international border in protest against the attacks on Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
Tripura Police and BSF stopped about 100 BJP activists when they came close to the border gate at Akhaura. Later, the activists took out a protest march in Agartala, the state capital. Assam BJP spokesperson Yadav Doloi criticized the Centre for allegedly not taking up the matter of attack on Hindus with Bangladesh yet.
"We are very sorry to say that even when President Pranab Mukherjee was in Dhaka recently, he did not utter a single word about the attacks on Hindus. The Hindus in Bangladesh are a minority and the government of that country should provide security to the minority. Even our central government did not show any sensitivity when Hindus were attacked in the neighbouring country," alleged Doloi.
He said that New Delhi should immediately take up the matter with Dhaka for ensuring safety of the Hindus in the neighbouring country. "The silence of Centre on the attacks on Hindus and their property is surprising," added Doloi.
According to reports from Bangladesh, recently activists of Jamaat and its student affiliate Islami Chatra Shibir attacked Hindu houses and temples in Chittagong district after a a special tribunal awarded death penalty to Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee for the war crimes during the country's freedom struggle in 1971.
The Assam BJP has also announced a stir on April 6 in protest against the India-Bangladesh land-swap agreement signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in 2011.
"We are against the agreement and we will oppose any move on exchanging land with Bangladesh. We cannot allow Assam's land to be handed over to Bangladesh," said BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami.
At the national level, too, BJP has put up a strong stand against the agreement, saying that it would oppose the bill on the agreement comes in Parliament.
Also the agreement sought to solve the issue of land which are in "adverse possession' of both the countries. According to the state government, Assam will get 1240 acres against ceding away of 183 acres land.
Courtesy: The Times of India
