Congress MP Shashi Tharoor today (3 December) reacted to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s request for deploying UN peacekeeping mission in Bangladesh and said he is “not sure” if she fully understands their role.
“I am not sure if she fully understands the role of UN peacekeepers. Having worked in UN peacekeeping myself, for many years, I can tell you that UN peacekeepers are very rarely sent inside any country except for the request by any country,” Shashi Tharoor told PTI.
He further said it is only when a country completely collapses, the peacekeepers are sent and that too, “the government of the country has to request them but I completely agree that we have to keep an eye on what is happening”.
Speaking in the Bengal state assembly, Mamata Banerjee yesterday had asked the Centre to move the United Nations to seek deployment of peacekeeping forces in Bangladesh where minorities have come under attack.
The chief minister also demanded that the external affairs minister should apprise the Parliament of the nation’s stance on the current situation.
Banerjee had said in the assembly that, “If required, let an international peacekeeping force be sent to Bangladesh after talking to the (interim) government there to help them restore normalcy.”
Additionally, Mamata Banerjee had also sought Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in bringing back the persecuted Indians from foreign soil.
Meanwhile, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh expressed shock at Banerjee’s call to deploy UN peacekeeping forces in Dhaka.
Bangladesh’s foreign adviser Touhid Hossain expressed discontent over the West Bengal CM’s remarks and said, “I don’t know, I can’t understand why Mamata Banerjee made such a statement. I know her personally, I have visited her home several times.”
However, Hossain also said that problems can be solved. “Mutual interests must be preserved, and Bangladesh seeks a friendly relationship with India.”
