'MEA shouldn't teach me a lesson...': Mamata Banerjee lashes out at Centre over Bangladesh refugees row

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday criticised the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for objecting to her comments about providing shelter to refugees from violence-hit Bangladesh.

"I know the federal structure very well. I was an MP seven times, I was a Union minister twice. I know the MEA policy better than anyone else. They shouldn’t teach me a lesson; they should learn from the system instead," Banerjee said.

Banerjee spoke about her commitment to sheltering Bangladeshi refugees under the United Nations Resolution after violent clashes over job quotas in Bangladesh. During a public event in Kolkata, she expressed her willingness to help those affected by the violence.

Mamata said, "If helpless people come knocking on the doors of Bengal, we will surely provide them shelter," she said at the 'Martyrs Day' rally of the Trinamool Congress.

Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry voiced its dissatisfaction with Mamata Banerjee's remarks, stating that her comments might cause confusion and mislead the public. The Ministry of External Affairs acknowledged receiving a formal objection from Dhaka concerning Banerjee's statements.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that foreign relations are solely the responsibility of the central government.

"Under the Seventh Schedule -- List One -- Union List -- item 10 of our Constitution, the conduct of foreign affairs and all matters which bring the Union into relation with any foreign country are the sole prerogative of the Union government," Jaiswal said.