'West Bengal-Bangladesh ties can't be measured with a tape'

Inaugurating the Kolkata International Book Fair yesterday, Mamata Banerjee said she is happy that Bangladesh is the theme country at the 45th edition of the fair, on the 50th year of its liberation.

Minister of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh K M Khalid, who was also present on the occasion, talked about ties between Bangladesh and West Bengal and thanked the book fair authorities for focusing on his country on its 50th year of Independence.

Mamata said the ties between West Bengal and the sovereign country Bangladesh cannot be "measured with a tape."

"You (Bangladesh) have Nazrul (Islam) and we have Rabindranath Tagore as our national poets. But they cannot be divided by any Partition," she said.

Cautioning against efforts to drive a wedge between people along religious lines, she said none can dictate people's choice of food, attire or language.

"On both sides of the border, we observe the International Language Day on February 21. We also utter Jai Bangla along with Jai Hind and Vande Mataram," the chief minister said.

She paid tributes to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and paid her respect to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Even though Bangladesh is the focal theme of this year's Fair, the shadow of Russia-Ukraine conflict hung on the event when the chief minister urged the Fair authorities to take a pledge for world peace during the event as a tribute to the victims of the war between Russia and Ukraine.