Kolkata: A political row has erupted in West Bengal after it was announced that exiled Bangladeshi author and human rights activist would be attending an event in Kolkata after nearly 10 years.
She had been hounded out of the state by the then Left Front government in 2007 following violent protests by members of a minority community over her writings.
The Trinamool Congress that came to power in West Bengal in 2011 took no steps to ensure her return to Kolkata where she had been living between 2004 and 2007.
The 63-year-old writer, who also has a medical degree, had to flee Kolkata after protests erupted over allegations of blasphemy in her autobiographical book, Dwikhandito (Divided). The then CPM-led government banned the book.
She now resides in Delhi on a long-term residence permit, as reported by NDTV.
The latest row surfaced after it came to light that Taslima is scheduled to attend a programme at Rabindra Sadan in Kolkata on August 1. The event is a protest meet against fundamentalism. She has been collectively invited by three organisations.
The writer, whom the Bangladesh government once charged with defaming Islam, will recite some of her poems and take part in a discussion after attending a civic reception in her honour, the organisers said.
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, state finance minister Swapan Dasgupta, and author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay are also expected to attend the event.
“I had told the state government to bring Taslima Nasreen to Bengal. Why should the voice of Taslima Nasreen be suppressed? She wrote Lajja on the atrocities faced by a Hindu family in Bangladesh, but the previous Left government banned her work. We welcome her visit to Kolkata,” BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said.
Lajja, which tells the story of the intolerance and violence faced by Bangladeshi Hindus and other religious minorities, remains banned in that country.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Akhruzzaman claimed the writer has frequently spoken out against Muslims, suggesting that is the sole reason the “double-engine government” is welcoming her.
“Look, Taslima Nasreen is a writer from Bangladesh. She has said a lot against the Muslim community and against Shariat in Islam. If someone speaks against Muslims, the double-engine government will respect her. What else is there to say,” he said.
The state’s urban development minister Agnimitra Paul strongly welcomed the writer’s visit.
“During the previous government’s tenure, she was never given the opportunity to return. The opposition talks so much about secularism, but when she wrote the truth in her book, they denied her security. Under the Trinamool government, people of various communities were merely used as political tools. Today, under chief minister Suvendu Adhikari’s government, Taslima Nasreen is coming on August 1; this is a matter of pride and joy for us,” the state minister said.
Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Naushad Siddiqui claimed the visit is a political ploy by the BJP to divert public attention.
“The BJP came to power promising the Annapurna Scheme, cheaper electricity, and women’s safety. They have failed on all these fronts. Now, to divert people’s minds from their failures, they are bringing Taslima Nasreen to say something provocative about Muslims before she leaves. They will then try to spin this event as development,” Siddiqui claimed.
