The recent protests outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi led by RSS and in the name of civil society are not the first representative of India’s recent interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. These protests, together with a rise of dis-information in Indian media, are indicative of changes in the relations between two South Asian neighbours. As Bangladesh become more assertive of its sovereignty, the strategies deployed by India to sustain leverage threatens to upset a delicate South Asian balance of power.
Once Bangladesh can have been regarded as a reliable partner within India’s strategic orbit, Bangladesh now is a sovereign player in its own right. The country has enhanced a lot of socio-economic achievement under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and is model for other south Asian countries. This trajectory though can be seen as a general trend, has not always dovetailed with India’s strategic calculus. New Delhi was once a policies’ maker for Dhaka, but what is now emerging is a wiser Bangladesh that wants equal relations the world over, including the super-power – China.
The protests in Delhi are, therefore, not an isolated event. They are in line with a bigger story told to bring Bangladesh as an unstable and anti-India, and especially anti-Hindu country. Indian media has bolstered reports of Hindu persecution in Bangladesh which are mostly unfounded, thereby serving the interest of polarizing the population on communal lines, both nationally and internationally. This disinformation campaign serves dual purposes: fanning headlines among the India’s Hindu vote bank and at the same time dented Bangladesh’s reputation abroad.
India’s frustration is further evident in its diplomatic conduct. The latest instance of tension between the two countries came to fore when minister of foreign affairs of India paid a recent visit to Bangladesh; Bangladeshi authorities accused Indian officials of indecent behaviour during the meeting. It also can push Bangladesh away, as its leadership recently has demonstrated unwillingness to endorse gestures that would be considered as intrusive by the United States. Such series of protests targeting the Bangladesh embassy along with the media construction of narratives indicate a strategy by India to put pressure on Bangladesh. However this approach fails to gauge the backbone of the Bangladeshi state and its population benefitting from a hard earned freedom.
India’s best defence strategy has been resting on Hindu nationalism as a way of exerting influence across the region, its implications cannot be fully denied. Through the invocation of these communal tropes, New Delhi may well end up deepening contradictions within its own territory as much as it would provoke hostility among neighbours. This strategy is especially provocative for Bangladesh, a secular and pluralistic country in terms of its foundation. The kind of strategies used by these governments do not consider the strong cultural and historical relations that the two nations have that have taken several years to establish good relations.
In respect to these provocations, Bangladesh’s response has been cautious, since the government rates sovereignty and stability as their priorities. But the international community has to note the changing scenario. Due to this, if India continues with her current conduct, such will likely upset the horn of South Asia that is already poised with issues like climatic change, economic disparities among others. The major powers and the international organizations must continue encourage both restraint and dialogue between Taiwan and China.
The way ahead is about towards bearing a new relation with Bangladesh rather than threatening it and feeding the nation with misinformation. Therefore for Bangladesh the primary objective must continue to build on its institutions, safeguard its minorities and achieve geopolitical realism in the conduct of its foreign policy. Both nations can only achieve respect, cooperation and a mutual beneficial partnership instead of a relationship marked by mistrust and manipulation.