Focus on your own minorities: India rejects Bangladesh’s remark on Bengal violence

India on Friday rejected Bangladesh’s remarks calling for “protection against minority Muslim population” in West Bengal and instead urged Dhaka to focus on protecting the rights of its own minorities.

The spokesperson for the Bangladesh interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus, on Thursday condemned attacks on Muslims in West Bengal and asked the Indian Government to “fully protect the minority Muslim population”.

In its reaction, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We reject the remarks made by the Bangladesh side with regard to the incidents in West Bengal. This is a barely disguised and disingenuous attempt to draw a parallel with India’s concerns over the ongoing persecution of minorities in Bangladesh where the criminal perpetrators of such acts continue to roam free.”

The MEA spokesperson said, “Instead of making unwarranted comments and indulging in virtue signalling, Bangladesh would do better to focus on protecting the rights of its own minorities.”

Bangladesh Chief Adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam had stated that the country’s interim government “strongly protested” India’s attempts to involve Bangladesh in the incident. “We strongly refute any attempts to implicate Bangladesh in the communal violence in Murshidabad. We urge the Government of India and West Bengal to take all steps to fully protect the minority Muslim population,” Alam told mediapersons.

India