Bangladesh’s relations with neighboring India are strained over various issues. Since the fall of autocratic Sheikh Hasina’s government and her fleeing to India, various provocations and misleading information about Bangladesh have been coming out in some Indian media outlets. Negative comments, statements, and discussions and criticisms are being made from various quarters in India regarding the political changes in Bangladesh, including the attack on the Bangladesh embassy in Agartala. Experts believe that India should first view this political change in Bangladesh positively. Therefore, all solutions must be found at the negotiating table.
After the fall of the previous government, the newly formed interim government has to deal with various pressures including conspiracies along with reform work. In the post-coup context, undesirable incidents are also happening in various parts of the country, which are being reported with importance by the media at home and abroad. Unfortunately, some media outlets in neighboring India are distorting and broadcasting the news in different ways, which is giving the wrong message about Bangladesh to readers and viewers of that country and the world. On Saturday, the interim government’s foreign affairs advisor Md. Touhid Hossain said in this regard during a seminar held in the capital that the role of Indian media is not helpful for the relations between the two countries. At a seminar titled ‘Bangladesh-India Relations, Expectations, Obstacles and Future’ organized by North South University, the foreign affairs advisor further said that after the fall of the previous government, Bangladesh’s relations with India should be based on reality. It is in the light of this reality that relations with India should be built and continued. India will definitely understand how to take forward relations with Bangladesh in the changing circumstances. It may already be doing so.
Bangladesh has always believed in friendly diplomatic relations. This is also reflected in the words of the Foreign Advisor. He said, we will not cause harm to anyone. We will not allow anyone to cause harm to us. In this regard, it is necessary to establish national consensus in our country. However, the role that the Indian media has taken is not helpful in the relations between the two countries. He expressed optimism and said that a good relationship will be established, where the interests of both sides will be protected.
It goes without saying that India is BD’s closest neighbor. We can change friends, but we cannot change neighbors. The good relations between the two countries are not a one-day affair. There is trade, but the two countries have also received cooperation from each other in various fields such as tourism and medicine. However, in the previous regime, relations with India were not normal. There were also attempts to belittle the interests of the country. However, in this case, the leadership of both countries must have goodwill. For example, several issues are still under discussion for a long time. The expectations of the people of both countries, the Teesta Treaty, the trade deficit and the border killings, three major unresolved issues, must be resolved quickly. The issues need to be resolved in the interest of improving relations.
BD wants to establish an equal relationship by developing relations between the two countries. The multidimensional nature of the relationship will strengthen day by day. The governments of both countries must be vigilant so that it does not deteriorate due to the lack of goodwill on the part of any party. In a state, governments come and go; but the people will always be there. The relationship will be with the people of that state and their legitimate representatives. This is the expectation that the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and India will always be unbreakable on the basis of equality of interests.
In India, provocative statements are being made from various quarters. Exaggerated statements are being made from various places. If BD’s diplomatic establishments are attacked or if diplomatic matters are violated, it is a matter of concern. In that case, BD has protested. India has been asked to MAINTAIN VIENNA CONVENTION. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has also expressed regret. To improve relations with Bangladesh, India must accept the current reality of Bangladesh. The way the Indian media is attacking Bangladesh, the statements that are being made by the government, must be stopped. The Hindu community of Bangladesh must stop being provoked.
India must accept the reality of Bangladesh. India must understand the mass uprising in Bangladesh and the resulting resignation of Sheikh Hasina and her flight to India. It must be understood that this is an expression of the long-standing anger of the people of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina was in power without a vote for the past 15 years. Her fascist style of running the government, rampant corruption, and the deprivation of people’s voting rights all happened with the help of India. Therefore, India could not estimate the depth of the anger of the people. It failed to understand.
While carrying out these activities, India is forgetting that the previous situation is no more, the times have changed. Whether it is not India’s equal, the importance of Bangladesh in South Asia has increased many times compared to before. It is the same for China, as well as for the Western world. Therefore, now no one sees Bangladesh through India’s eyes as before. In this region, Bangladesh is now the second most important country after India. No one believes in the policy of having direct relations with this country, not through India. Therefore, India must immediately change its wrong policy and stubborn approach towards Bangladesh for its own sake.