Taslima Nasreen rejects BJP-RSS links ahead of Kolkata visit after 19 years, says invite is from secular group

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has dismissed allegations that her upcoming visit to Kolkata is being facilitated by the BJP or the RSS, saying she was invited by a secular organisation and that the West Bengal government’s role is limited to providing security.

In a post on X on Monday, Nasreen said the invitation came from the Secular Mission, led by Osman Gani Mallik, whom she described as a progressive Muslim personality. She said attempts to portray her visit as politically motivated amounted to misinformation.

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“Is the BJP bringing me to Kolkata? No. Is the Government of West Bengal bringing me? No,” Nasreen wrote.

She said providing security to visiting individuals is a routine responsibility of every state government, irrespective of which party is in power.

“The elected government of West Bengal is only providing security for my visit. Whenever I travel to any state, irrespective of which political party is in power, it is the responsibility of that state’s government to ensure my security. That is a normal administrative duty,” she added.

I have been invited to Kolkata by an organisation called Secular Mission. The organisation is headed by a progressive Muslim, Osman Gani Mallik.

Is the BJP taking me to Kolkata? No.

Is the West Bengal government taking me there? No.

The elected government of West Bengal is…

— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) July 19, 2026

Nasreen accused sections of the Left of branding her as a supporter of Hindutva, the BJP and the RSS despite having, according to her, forced her out of West Bengal years ago.

“They had driven me out of West Bengal, and now they claim that merely setting foot in the state makes me a Hindutva supporter, a BJP supporter, or an RSS supporter,” she said.

Drawing a comparison with her earlier visits to Kerala, Nasreen said she had accepted invitations from the CPI(M)-led government there and was provided Z+ security without attracting similar criticism from Left leaders.

She questioned why her proposed two-day visit to Kolkata had triggered what she described as a campaign of “false propaganda”, noting that she would be returning to the city after 18 years, eight months and 10 days.

The writer also criticised successive governments in West Bengal. She alleged that the erstwhile Left Front government forced her to leave Kolkata, while the Trinamool Congress government later prevented her from entering the state, stopped the telecast of a television serial based on her work and blocked the release of one of her books.

In the concluding part of her statement, Nasreen accused sections of the Left of appeasing Islamic fundamentalists while remaining silent on issues related to freedom of expression and reforms within the Muslim community. She also questioned how long some Left leaders would continue “to wear the mask of progressivism while speaking the language of jihadists.”

Nasreen’s proposed visit will be her first to Kolkata since November 2007, when she left the city following violent protests over portions of her autobiography Dwikhandita. The unrest led to the Army deployment before she was escorted out of West Bengal.

The visit has drawn political attention amid the ongoing debate over her return to the state.