Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on Sunday compared the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests in Delhi with the student-led movement.
That toppled former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2024, urging people to learn from the developments that followed in Bangladesh. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, a day after her felicitation ceremony was briefly disrupted, Nasreen said the protests in Delhi reminded her of the events that unfolded in Bangladesh during the July 2024 uprising.
‘PEOPLE SHOULD LEARN FROM BANGLADESH’
“What is happening here reminds me of what happened in Bangladesh during the July student movement. People were misled. The outcome in Bangladesh has not been good. Jihadis have taken over power there,” Nasreen said.
Bangladesh witnessed months of protests in 2024 that began over a controversial government job quota system before expanding into a nationwide anti-government movement. The unrest eventually forced Sheikh Hasina to leave the country, after which Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus headed an interim administration. Since then, Bangladesh has witnessed political instability, while members of minority communities, including Hindus, have repeatedly expressed concern over attacks and discrimination.
Nasreen alleged that the situation for Hindus had deteriorated under the interim administration.
“There were attacks on Hindus during the Hasina government as well, but the atrocities have increased under the Yunus government,” she claimed, attributing the situation to rising religious influence and shortcomings in the education system.
CALLS FOR SECULAR REFORMS
Advocating a stronger separation of religion and the state, Nasreen called for greater emphasis on secular education. She criticised the madrasa education system, alleging that it encouraged communal thinking, and argued that Bangladesh should prioritise a modern, secular education framework.
She also reiterated her support for a Uniform Civil Code, saying India, Bangladesh and Pakistan should have “one law for everyone” to ensure equal rights, particularly for women.
Speaking on Bangladesh’s political future, Nasreen opposed any move to ban the Awami League, saying it should remain an active political force. She also said Sheikh Hasina should be allowed to return to Bangladesh, despite her own disagreements with aspects of the former prime minister’s governance.
ON KOLKATA EVENT DISRUPTION
Nasreen also reacted to the disruption at her felicitation ceremony at Kolkata’s Rabindra Sadan on Saturday, where poet Joy Goswami was prevented from addressing the audience after protests by a section of attendees.
“I felt hurt. It was not only Joy Goswami’s humiliation but mine as well because I had invited him. Political ideologies may differ, but everyone has the right to express their views,” she said, adding that she planned to visit the poet personally.
Reflecting on her relationship with successive governments in West Bengal, Nasreen remarked, “One government barred me, one government expelled me, and one government invited me,” in an apparent reference to the Left Front, the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
She also thanked Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for assuring her security during her visit to Kolkata.
Concluding her remarks, Nasreen expressed hope for stronger India-Bangladesh ties, saying India had played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971 and that the two neighbours should continue to maintain friendly relations.
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