Bangladesh involved in India’s protest movement, claims West Bengal minister

West Bengal Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh has alleged that elements in Bangladesh are involved in the ongoing protests demanding the removal of India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Ghosh claimed that social media posts by several Bangladeshi ministers could offer clues about those allegedly behind the protests.
The BJP leader made the remarks on Monday evening, October 13, while responding to questions from journalists at the inauguration of a Durga Puja festival in Habra, North 24 Parganas district.

He alleged that people who had previously worked behind the scenes to organise the protests were now coming out into the open. He also claimed that some people based abroad were attempting to destabilise India.

Ghosh further alleged that the protest movement was receiving foreign funding. He said the Indian central government had initiated steps to introduce legislation related to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in Parliament to regulate the flow of funds from abroad and ensure transparency in the use of donations.

According to Ghosh, the protests were being intensified in an attempt to obstruct that initiative.

However, the report did not clarify whether he presented any evidence to substantiate his allegations of foreign funding or the alleged involvement of elements in Bangladesh.