Taslima Nasrin Says Left 'Drove Me Out' Ahead Of Kolkata Return

Bangladeshi-Swedish Author Taslima Nasrin has strongly rebuked Left leaders in West Bengal who have branded her a Hindutva supporter ahead of her first visit to Kolkata in nearly 19 years, accusing them of hypocrisy and appeasement of Islamic fundamentalists, according to a post on X by the author.

In a lengthy post, Nasrin said she has been invited to Kolkata by an organisation called Secular Mission, headed by a progressive Muslim, and that the West Bengal government is only arranging her security, which she described as a "normal administrative responsibility." "Is the BJP taking me to Kolkata? No," she wrote.

"The Left Front government drove me out of Kolkata. The Trinamool government that followed did not allow me to enter West Bengal either. Not only that, it stopped the television broadcast of a long-running serial written by me and cancelled my book launch," Nasrin wrote.

She accused Left leaders of hypocrisy, noting that she had visited Kerala multiple times at the invitation of the CPI(M) government, where she was welcomed and honoured with Z-plus security. "Did these Left leaders in Kolkata then abuse me by calling me a 'Leftist,' or did they shower me with kisses of approval? They conveniently kept their eyes shut then," she wrote.

'Appeasement Of Islamic Fundamentalists'

Nasrin, a vocal critic of religious fundamentalism and a campaigner for women's rights in Muslim societies, accused the Left of regarding those who seek reform within Muslim society as enemies. "They want Muslim society to remain trapped in the misogynistic, fanatical and intolerant world of fourteen hundred years ago," she wrote.

"That is why my return to West Bengal has provoked so much anger, resentment and false propaganda from them. Will these Leftists ever learn to be human? How much longer will they hide behind the mask of progressivism while speaking the language of jihadists?" she wrote.

Nasrin also responded to critics who have dismissed her literary work, writing: "Let us assume that they are right: I am not a good writer, and all my books are third-rate. Does that justify putting a price on my head? Does it justify driving me out of my country and banishing me from Bengal altogether?"

She added, "My only real fault is this: they believe Islam is a religion of peace; I do not. They cannot accept that the right to criticise Islam is part of freedom of expression. All their liberalism ends at the gates of Islam."

Return after 19 years

Nasrin is set to return to Kolkata after nearly 19 years to attend an anti-fundamentalism event organised by a coalition of secular and rationalist groups in the city. The event will focus on secularism, freedom of expression, and resistance against religious extremism.

Nasrin was forced to leave Kolkata in 2007 after violent protests by fundamentalist groups over her writings, which criticised religious orthodoxy and advocated for women's rights. She has since lived in various countries, mostly in Europe and the United States, according to the Outlook India report.

The West Bengal government has assured necessary security arrangements for Nasrin during her stay, the report said. Her return has generated mixed reactions, with secular and progressive groups welcoming it while some conservative organisations have expressed opposition.