BJP wants to bring Taslima back to Kolkata

In the Indian Parliament, BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya spoke in favor of bringing exiled writer Taslima Nasrin back to West Bengal. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Samik Bhattacharya said, "Taslima loves Kolkata. She wants to stay in Kolkata. She should be brought back to Kolkata with adequate security."

This BJP MP, reminding the Rajya Sabha of Taslima's contributions to Bengali literature, said, "I want the ultimate surrender to Muslim fundamentalism under the guise of progressive rhetoric to stop. Taslima should be brought back. I believe that (with Taslima's return) a new sunrise will dawn on the women's movement in Bengal."

On the other hand, responding to Samik Bhattacharya's statement, exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin wrote on social media—"After 18 years, BJP MP Shamik Bhattacharya raised the demand in the Rajya Sabha to bring me back to Kolkata. I don’t know if I will ultimately be able to return to Kolkata." Additionally, Taslima expressed her gratitude to him.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee targeted the BJP, saying, "When Taslima Nasrin was forced to leave West Bengal, it was the CPI(M) government in power. Why didn’t the BJP protest back then? Today, an atmosphere is being created to stir up Hindu-Muslim conflicts in Bengal."

West Bengal Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "I believe it is not right to disrupt the environment by reigniting the debate over Taslima and heating up Bengal's politics. Issues that unnecessarily create conflict should be avoided by the state, in my opinion."

Now, it remains to be seen how far the proposal by the BJP MP progresses. Social media is already abuzz with discussions about whether Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin will return to Kolkata or not.