Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee and State BJP MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato were on the same page even as both on Friday advocate recanting --- interim Bangladesh president --- Md Yunus' Nobel peace prize for having failed to contain atrocities on the minority Hindus in that country.
Mahato said that he had written a letter to the Nobel Committee to consider withdrawing the peace prize awarded to Yunus for his failure to ensure the safety of life and property of the minority Hindus of Bangladesh.
"As a Bengali Hindu I am deeply disturbed and anguished at the way the Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh … I do not know much of how things take place but I am of the opinion that the Nobel Peace Prize of Md Yunus should be taken back as his Government has not only failed to ensure persecution of the Hindus but also they have allowed the massacre of their lives and properties," Mahato said.
"Peace is past in Bangladesh … the way a Hindu sadhus are being harassed and put in jail without trial … the way the properties of the minorities lives and honour of women are being looted by the fundamentalist forces and the way the Government is sitting unconcerned it shows complicity … hence this letter has been written," he said.
Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee and State Minister Bratya Basu too condemned the attacks on the minorities in that country with Banejree saying that though he could not make suggestions from his position he too did not approve of the mass persecution of the minorities in that country.
"Whatever we are seeing is extremely painful … attack on minorities wherever it takes place is condemnable … Persecution of minorities wherever it takes place is condemnable … it is evident that he (Yunus) has failed to bring peace in his country … everyone knows why he got Nobel Prize for peace … now it seems that a time has come to reevaluate his credentials," Banerjee said.
Yunus and Grameen Bank of Bangladesh were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006 for their work to "create economic and social development from below."
Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Bengal Minister Bratya Basu too deplored the persecution of minorities in Bangladesh though he tended to avoid the term "Hindu." Basu said, "it is clearly seen that minorities are persecuted … their cause is challenged … if the minorities are massacred like this in your neighbourhood then it will definitely impact peace," adding however that he was not the right person to dwell on the Peace Prize of Md Yunus. "I may have my personal opinions but it will not be proper for me to make any comment on the Nobel Peace Prize," he said.
Incidentally, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too had demanded intervention of United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Bangladesh a few days ago. Making a speech in the State Assembly she had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge the UNO to send peace keeping forces in Bangladesh.
"The Government of India is totally keeping mum on the issue … we respect the Indian government's stance, but atrocities on religious grounds are unacceptable… considering the deteriorating situation in that country and attack on the minorities," she had said adding, "the Centre should appeal to the UN to send peacekeeping mission in Bangladesh."
