- Exiled author Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after 19 years.
- She will attend an anti-fundamentalism program on August 1.
- Her visit sparks political debate among Bengal’s parties.
- Protests over her writings forced her departure in 2007.
Exiled Bangladeshi author and human rights activist Taslima Nasreen is set to return to Kolkata nearly two decades after she was forced to leave the city following violent protests over her writings.
The 63-year-old writer left Kolkata in 2007 after demonstrations erupted over allegations of blasphemy linked to her autobiographical book Dwikhandito (Divided). The then Left Front government led by the CPM had banned the book.
Nasreen, who lived in Kolkata between 2004 and 2007, now resides in Delhi on a long-term residence permit. Her upcoming visit on August 1 will mark her first trip to the city in nearly 19 years.
ALSO READ | ‘Sonam Wangchuk May Die In 2 Days’: Delhi HC Plea Seeks ‘Force-Feeding’ Of Activist
Author To Attend Anti-Fundamentalism Programme
Nasreen is scheduled to participate in a programme against fundamentalism at Rabindra Sadan after receiving a joint invitation from three organisations.
According to the organisers, she will attend a civic reception, recite some of her poems and participate in a discussion during the event.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta and author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay are also expected to attend the programme.
BJP Welcomes Visit, Cites Lajja
The announcement has triggered a political debate in West Bengal, with the BJP welcoming Nasreen’s return.
“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,” state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said.
Lajja, which remains banned in Bangladesh, depicts the persecution and violence faced by Bangladeshi Hindus and other religious minorities.
ALSO READ | Lack Of Research: SC Slams Patna HC Over ‘Pressing Woman’s Chest Not Rape Attempt’ Comment
TMC and ISF Question Government’s Motives
Trinamool Congress MLA Akhruzzaman criticised the government’s decision, alleging that Nasreen has repeatedly spoken against Muslims.
“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.
Bengal minister Agnimitra Paul welcomed the visit, saying Nasreen had not been allowed to return under the previous government.
“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,” Paul said.
Meanwhile, Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Naushad Siddiqui alleged that the visit was a political strategy by the BJP to divert attention from governance issues.
“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.
