Cong alleges Bengal govt opposed Taslima's stay

The Left parties' secular image faced the prospect of being tarnished with the Congress today alleging that the Left-ruled West Bengal government had opposed the Centre's bid to renew the visa of controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi took a dig at the Left parties, which have kept the government on tenterhooks for months on the issue of the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement.

"The UPA government's approval for her stay has nothing to do with the content of her views. The government went through a laid-down procedure while granting her a stay permit. However, it was the West Bengal government which objected to the extension of Nasreen's stay-permit", Singhvi said.

The permit was renewed last August and she can stay in India till mid-February 2008.

CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury refuted the charge and said, "There is no question of the state government's involvement in this matter. Granting stay permits is the prerogative of the central government."

This is in stark contrast to the CPI(M)'s claim about the secular nature of its government, which had offered a place to Qutubuddin, the famous face of the Gujarat riots.

But possibly under pressure from Islamic fundamentalists, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee put aside issues of life and liberty. A few years ago, the Left Front government had banned one of Nasreen's publications in the state.

The Congress also claimed that the Central government was kept in the dark about her movement from Bengal to Rajasthan. On this, Yechury said, "We were also in dark because it was a privately arranged visit."

Also, a few hours before the Congress' remarks, a defensive CPI(M) leadership tried to wash its hands of the affair.

Instead, it put the blame on the Central government, claiming the state government had no role in the matter.

"The Central government has given her the visa and the necessary permissions to stay in India. It is the Centre which will decide where she can stay. According to the law, the Centre decides where she will stay and the state government has to provide necessary arrangements for her security", said Yechury.

He denied reports that the administration forced the writer to leave Kolkata. "This is absolutely false. Nobody asked her to go. In fact, she decided on her own to visit Jaipur with a friend," he said. Nasreen maintains she was asked to leave her favourite city.

The CPI(M) also raised questions about the BJP's stand. According to the Left, the BJP has exposed its double standards.

"Some organisations linked with the RSS are not allowing renowned painter Maqbul Fida Hussain to come back to India. Somebody should ask the BJP why they are not raising their voice in favour of Hussain, who is a citizen of this country," said Yechury.