Mamata Banerjee rules out removing Bangabandhu's bust

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ruled out removing the marble bust of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Kolkata's Baker Hostel.

In 2011, the marble bust of Bangabandhu was installed in the Baker Hostel of Kolkata's Maulana Azad College (formerly Islamia College), where the great leader stayed during his days as a student in undivided Bengal.

The All Bengal Minority Youth Federation (ABMYF), a hard line Islamist group, had recently demanded the statue should be removed because it is "not in keeping with Islamic practices."

"Bangabandhu is an inspiration for all Bengalis, for us and also for Bangladesh. We will preserve his memory and not tolerate any attempt to demean it," Mamata Banerjee told journalists in Kolkata on Thursday.

She said any attempt to undermine Bangabandhu's legacy will 'be dealt with very firmly".

"There was no question of removing his bust from Baker Hostel. The room there in his memory will also be preserved with due respect," said the West Bengal chief minister.

In a recent statement, ABMYF Secretary Mohammed Qamruzzaman attacked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for installing this bust in 2011.

"How can she, being a Muslim, install the statue of her father in a Muslim institution! This is un-Islamic and Indian Muslims don’t accept this," Qamruzzaman said in the statement.

He said his organisation appeals to West Bengal chief minister, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina to initiate the process to remove the Bangabandhu statue from Baker Hostel.

Mamata Banerjee and Siddiqullah Chowdhury. Mamata Banerjee and Siddiqullah Chowdhury.
The All Bengal Minority Youth Federation (ABMYF) has demanded the statue should be removed because it is "not in keeping with Islamic practices".

The ABMYF is a hard line Islamist group which maintains close links with a number of Trinamool Congress politicians like Minister Siddiqullah Choudhury and MPs Idris Ali and Hassan Imran.

They are seen as close to Mamata Banerjee. 

The ABMYF demand raised a furore in Kolkata where Bangabandhu and his daughter Hasina enjoy much popularity.

By distancing herself from the demand, Mamata is also seeking to block allegations often made by her political rivals that she pampers the hard line Islamists, especially the clergy.

Source: bdnews24