Kolkata: Bangladesh-born author Taslima Nasrin said she “wants to believe” that the BJP govt in Bengal will protect freedom of expression and the fundamental rights of every citizen. “I believe they (the govt) will accommodate those with differing opinions so they can express their views freely,” she said at a press conference on Sunday.The 63-year-old author, back in Kolkata after 19 years, referred to the fact that she had been forced to leave the city during the tenure of the Left Front govt and the Trinamool govt did not let her return. The BJP govt, in contrast, allowed her back and ensured her security, she said.Police had escorted the author from her home in Kolkata and put her on a flight to Delhi in Nov 2007 after violent protests over her presence in the city.Asked about the Jantar Mantar protests over the NEET paper leak, which resulted in the resignation of BJP’s Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister, Nasrin said student protests do not always lead to “good” outcomes. “I did not follow the protests regularly. But I watched a video clip and it looked similar to the 2024 student protests in Bangladesh. That movement had fooled many of us. We initially felt their demands were fair, and Sheikh Hasina even agreed to reform the rules. But it ultimately led to the fall of the Hasina govt. We later realised that extremists played a major role in the movement and they finally captured power. Drawing from our experience, student gatherings or protests do not always lead to good outcomes,” the author said.She called for the abolition of madrasas, alleging that many of them “produce” extremists. “In many cases, extremists have been found to have studied in madrasas. Children face abuse there… I think the institutions need to be converted into secular schools… Also, it is not necessary to have too many mosques,” she said.Backing the Uniform Civil Code, Nasrin said, “I have been fighting for this for 40 years. I feel any civilised country should have a Uniform Civil Code. In Bangladesh, Hindu women have no rights. They are not entitled to their father’s property. In India, things are much better.”On Bangladesh politics, the author said she believed that the Muhammad Yunus-led interim govt, which assumed office after protests forced Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in Aug 2024, was the “worst” the country has seen. Hindus suffered worst atrocities during the tenure of the Yunus govt, she said. “I am not saying Hindus were not tortured during the Hasina regime. Anti-Hindu hatred has deep roots in Bangladesh. Secular education is the only way to ensure that every minority community lives peacefully.”On Sheikh Hasina, she said, “Hasina didn’t do everything right either. She built many madrasas and mosques. But I am not in favour of banning Awami League.” Elaborating on the point, she added, “It would be good for democracy if Awami League played the role of the opposition party. But since the party is banned, Jamaat-e-Islami has filled that space, which poses a serious threat.”The regime change following Hasina’s ouster failed to protect the fundamental rights of Bangladeshis, Nasrin said. On the arrest of Bangladeshi Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Nov 2024 on sedition charges, she said, “His effort to unite Hindus in Bangladesh was seen as a threat by the govt.”She expressed hope that India and Bangladeshi would have strong diplomatic ties. “Those of us who witnessed the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War saw how India supported Bangladesh in becoming an independent nation. Everyone who believes in Bangladesh’s freedom acknowledges India’s contribution. Although pro-Pakistan elements in Bangladesh deny this, freethinkers in Bangladesh truly want both nations to maintain a good relationship,” she said
