New Delhi dismisses West Bengal's willingness to provide refuge to people from violence hit Bangladesh. Sources say, "these are matters which are handled by the Union Govt. A State Govt has no locus standi on the issue and as such their comments are totally misplaced.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, whose state shares a border with Bangladesh, offered on Sunday to shelter ‘helpless people’ from the neighboring country, which has been experiencing violent student-led protests against civil service reservations. “I should not speak on the affairs of Bangladesh as it is a sovereign nation, and whatever needs to be said on the issue is subject matter of the Centre. But I can tell you this, if helpless people come knocking on our doors, we will surely provide them shelter,” Banerjee declared at the annual Martyrs' Day rally of her Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata.

“That's because of a United Nations resolution to accommodate refugees in regions adjacent to those under turmoil,” the TMC supremo stated.Banerjee also assured her full cooperation to her state's residents whose relatives are stuck in Bangladesh due to the escalating violence on the eastern side of the international border. Expressing her sadness over the loss of lives in Bangladesh, she offered shelter to people from the strife-torn country, comments which apparently didn’t go down well with the Sheikh Hasina administration.

During her address at the Martyrs’ Day rally in Calcutta, Banerjee touched on the recent developments in Bangladesh, which has been racked by violent protests against quotas in government jobs. “I will not comment on Bangladesh. It is a different country.... Whatever there is to say, the Indian government will say,” Mamata began her comment with a cautionary note, aligning with the Centre’s stance that the developments beyond the border were the country’s “internal affair.”

“But if helpless people knock on the door of Bengal, we will offer shelter to them. There is a UN (United Nations) resolution that neighboring areas can help if someone is in trouble,” she continued, adding that Bengal had previously given shelter to people from Assam during an ethnic conflict in the northeastern state.