The Hindu : New Delhi News : BJP defends Taslima’s right to live in India

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Saturday, Nov 24, 2007
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BJP defends Taslima’s right to live in India

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has taken strong objection to a suggestion made by the 0Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Biman Bose that Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin should leave West Bengal.

The BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, V.K. Malhotra, said it was totally wrong to ask her to leave, or even suggest that she should, just because a handful of “fundamentalists” do not like what she says and writes.

On Wednesday, Mr. Malhotra had demanded that her visa be extended and she be granted Indian citizenship, if she desired it.

Mr. Malhotra said the CPI (M) had an eye on the “fundamentalist” Muslim vote-bank in the State and since Ms. Nasreen had been critical of the narrow Islamic fundamentalist politics, and the All India Minority Front had demanded the cancellation of her visa, Mr. Bose had suggested that she leave the State.

Ms. Nasrin had been hounded out of Bangladesh because she was critical of the manner in which the Hindus had been treated by the Muslim majority.

Anti-secular politics

Ms. Nasrin was welcomed by India and should continue to be a welcome guest in the country or be granted citizenship.

It was the ‘narrow anti-secular’ politics of the CPI(M) that reflected in the suggestion made by the CPI(M) leader, Mr. Malhotra said.

The BJP leader was also critical of the attempt to once again raise the Tehelka sting operation related to the Gujarat riots in the Lok Sabha.

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