Linking 'postponement' of Bangladesh FM visit with CAB unwarranted: MEA

India on Thursday said that Bangladesh has already informed it about the "postponement" of the visit of Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and outrightly dismissed that the development is connected with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill passed by the Parliament.

"The Bangladesh side has already informed us of the postponement of the visit of Foreign Minister Momen which was earlier scheduled from December 12-14, 2019 including for the Sixth Indian Ocean Dialogue in New Delhi," the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said while addressing a press conference.

The Spokesperson dismissed "speculations" that the development is connected with legislation adopted by the Parliament yesterday regarding the Citizenship Amendment Bill and termed them "unwarranted."

"The Bangladesh side has conveyed that the Minister has changed his programme on account of domestic issues pertaining to the commemoration of the 'Victory Day' in Bangladesh on December 16. Any speculation that this development is connected with legislation adopted by the Parliament yesterday regarding the Citizenship Amendment Bill is unwarranted," the MEA spokesperson said.

Clarifying on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the spokesperson quoted Home Minister Amit Shah wherein he had specifically highlighted "the role of Bangabandhu and the actions taken by the present government in Bangladesh under the leadership of PM Sheikh Hasina."

"Sir, as long as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was leading Bangladesh, everything worked very well. But once his government went, minorities began to be oppressed. I can tell you that a large number of Bangladeshi Hindus had to come here to seek refuge...Sir, the current government in Bangladesh is also taking care of religious minorities. It is making arrangements also for religious minorities, but there has been a long period in the past in between, during which people came to India on account of religious persecution. This Bill is only to give citizenship to those people who came at that time," the Spokesperson quoted Amit Shah as saying in the Parliament.

Earlier during the press conference, the MEA Spokesperson stressed that they have explained that religious persecution is not happening under the present government in Bangladesh.

"There seems to be some confusion. We have explained that religious persecution is not happening under the present government. Migrants who have sought refuge in India from Bangladesh have faced persecution and abuse on religious grounds during the military rule and also during the previous governments in Bangladesh," the Spokesperson said.

Kumar asserted that they were aware that the present government in Bangladesh has taken several steps to address the concerns of the minorities living there as per their constitutional provisions.

"We have also acknowledged and we are aware that the present government in Bangladesh has taken several steps to address the concerns of minorities living there as per their Constitutional provisions," he said.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said that he has cancelled his visit to India due to "increasing demand at home".

Momen was scheduled to arrive in Delhi today for his three-day visit to attend the sixth edition of the Indian Ocean Dialogue and the combined session of the Delhi Dialogue XI.

He was also supposed to hold talks on bilateral issues with external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

Momen, who was the chief guest at the event in Delhi, said that he has to participate in the Buddijibi Debosh and Bijoy Debosh.

"I had to cancel my trip to New Delhi as I have to participate in the Buddijibi Debosh and Bijoy Debosh and more so as our State Minister is out of the country in Madrid and our Foreign Secretary is in The Hague. Given increasing demand at home, I decided to cancel his trip," said Momen.

The foreign minister said that he is looking forward to his January visit.

"I am looking forward to attending the next meeting in January. I am sending our DG to attend the event," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Momen has rejected Home Minister Amit Shah's statements on the condition of religious minorities in Bangladesh, calling the remarks as 'unwarranted as well as untrue'.

While introducing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 in the Lok Sabha, Shah had said that the Bill was brought to ensure that persecuted communities in Pakistan, Afghstan and Bangladesh can live a dignified life in India.

The Bill aimed at providing Indian citizenship to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from the three countries to India till December 31, 2014, to put an end to them being treated as illegal immigrants in the country.

Responding to it, Momen claimed that there were only 'a very few countries where communal harmony is as good as in Bangladesh' and invited Shah to witness it by visiting the country.

"What they are saying in regards to torture on Hindus is unwarranted as well as untrue. There are very few countries in the world where communal harmony is as good as in Bangladesh. We have no minorities. We are all equal. If he [Amit Shah] stayed in Bangladesh for a few months, he would see the exemplary communal harmony in our country," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )