Amid Anti-CAA Protests, West Bengal Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury's Bangladesh Visa Denied

Amid protests over the new Citizenship Law and bedevilled Indo-Bangla ties, the Bangladesh visa of West Bengal Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury has been denied. Chowdhury, who had applied for the visa 10 days ago, said he was informed about the denial on Monday. However, the reason of the denial is yet to be ascertained, he added.

West Bengal Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury: I had applied for visa of Bangladesh 10 days ago. My ticket has been booked. But today I was informed that the visa has been denied. Reasons for denial of visa haven't been cited. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/mIu2TFN224

— ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2019

This has come after Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan cancelled their visits to India over the situation arising out of the passage of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen had said CAA and the NRC are India’s “internal issues”, but voiced concern that any “uncertainty” in the country is likely to affect its neighbours. Expressing hope for normalcy, Abdul Momen said the country “can get out of it”.

Moreover, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina had taken up the issue of NRC with PM Modi during their bilateral meeting in New York in September.

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also voiced her opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Bill. Much before Parliament’s nod to the bill, Mamata had made her stand clear about the bill. Addressing a gathering, she had said, “Don’t be scared of CAB (Citizenship Amendment Bill). We are with you. As long as we are here nobody can impose anything on you.”

According to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution there will get Indian citizenship.