‘Not sure if she fully understands their role,’ Tharoor on Bengal CM’s demand for UN peacekeepers in Dhaka

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday (Dec. 3) reacted to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s request for deploying a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Bangladesh amid the ongoing violence against minorities, saying that he is “not sure” if she fully understands their role. 

Tharoor told Indian news agency PTI that the UN peacekeepers are very rarely sent inside any country except for when its government itself makes a request. 

While speaking in the Bengal state assembly, CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday asked the Centre to move the United Nations to deploy their peacekeeping forces in Bangladesh where minorities are coming under attack. 

She also demanded that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar apprise the Parliament of the nation’s stance on the current situation. 

“If required, let an international peacekeeping force be sent to Bangladesh after talking to the (interim) government there to help them restore normalcy,” Banerjee said in the assembly. 

Reacting to this, Tharoor said, “I am not sure if she fully understands the role of UN peacekeepers. Having worked in UN peacekeeping myself for many years, I can tell you that UN peacekeepers are very rarely sent inside any country except for the request by any country.”

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He added that the peacekeepers are sent only when a country completely collapses, and that too, “the government of the country has to request them but I completely agree that we have to keep an eye on what is happening”.

CM Mamata Banerjee also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for intervention in bringing back the prosecuted Indians from foreign soil. 

In Bangladesh, there has been a rise in attacks on minorities, including Hindus. Recently, the arrest of former ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das has sparked criticism. 

Moreover, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government also expressed shock at Banerjee’s call to deploy UN peacekeeping forces in Dhaka. 

(With inputs from agencies)