Kolkata: Criticism against Bangladesh's interim chief Muhammad Yunus intensified on Friday, with lawmakers from Bengal demanding a reassessment of his Nobel Peace Prize. Such criticisms arose even earlier as violence against minority communities intensified in Bangladesh.
BJP MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato wrote a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday to reassess the legacy of Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus. Mahato, who spoke with "anguish as Hindus in Bangladesh face unspeakable horrors under Yunus's leadership", alleged that mass killings, temple destruction, and persecution tarnished the image of a "Nobel peace laureate".
"The tragic irony of awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to individuals whose legacies are now stained with violence and injustice. This letter specifically addresses the grave atrocities against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh under the current regime led by Dr Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate…" he wrote in the letter.
Earlier, Union minister Sukanta Majumdar raised questions about his credentials as a Nobel Laureate and accused him of providing lip service to the minority communities in Bangladesh.
West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay termed the spate of violence in Bangladesh as appalling. "I would urge the Nobel committee to reassess the Peace Prize given to Yunus." The chief whip of BJP at Assembly, Shankar Ghosh, also urged that the award given to him should be reassessed.