National

Mamata summons Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner

With top Bengali newspapers of Kolkata alleging that a Rajya Sabha MP of Mamata Banerjee funded anti-Indian forces, like Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, to destabilize the Awami League government in Bangladesh, the Chief Minister of West Bengal has summoned the Deputy High Commissioner of the neighbouring country.The Deputy High Commissioner, Abida Islam will meet Ms. Banerjee on Saturday. Historically, Awami League is considered as a pro-India political party in Bangladesh.Bangladesh foreign ministry sources in Delhi confirmed that Ms. Islam has been summoned by the Chief Minister.A senior leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has said that Ms. Banerje will give a “piece of her mind” to the Deputy High Commissioner for “selective leaks in media violating protocol” against a ruling party in the State.The newspaper alleged that AITC’s Rajya Sabha M.P. Ahmed Hassan Imran has raised several hundred thousand dollars from the Chit Fund company, Saradha, and distributed part of it to promote anti-Indian forces in Bangladesh.While the report could not be verified independently, and the observations are based on intelligence agency inputs, the allegation may create severe problems for AITC. “It is in this context, Ms. Banerjee has called the Deputy High Commissioner to discuss the issue,” sources said.