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‘Dangerous’: Hasina sounds alarm over anti-India rhetoric in Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina said extremist elements that have gained influence under the current Yunus-led regime in Bangladesh.
Ousted former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina said statements – like the one a Bangladeshi politician recently made referring to India's Northeast and the Chicken's Neck – are “dangerous”, reflecting the extremist elements that have strengthened under the Muhammad Yunus-led current regime.
National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah recently contended in a fiery speech that Bangladesh can shelter separatist forces from India and sever the seven northeastern states – also known as the “seven sisters – from the rest of the country.
A corridor in West Bengal's Siliguri - commonly referred to as "Chicken's Neck" - connects mainland India to the northeastern states. It is the most one of the most sensitive strategic bottlenecks in the world.
“Such statements are dangerous and irresponsible, reflecting the extremist elements that have gained influence under Yunus. No serious leader would threaten a neighbour upon whom Bangladesh depends for trade, transit, and regional stability,” Sheikh Hasina said in an email interview with news agency ANI.
‘India has every right to raise concern’
Awami League supremo Hasina's statement comes amid fresh violence in the country that erupted following the death of a radical student leader - Sharif Osman Hadi.
Referring to the anti-India rhetoric, Hasina said this “serves only ideological fantasies, not Bangladesh's national interests”.
India has every right to view such statements with concern, she opined, adding that these voices do not represent the Bangladeshi people, who she said “understand that our prosperity and security depend on strong ties" with New Delhi.
Once democracy is restored and responsible governance returns, such reckless talk will end, Hasina said.
She said that the current strain in India-Bangladesh ties is “entirely of Yunus's making”, whose government, according to her, issues hostile “statements against India, fails to protect religious minorities, and allows extremists to dictate foreign policy, then expresses surprise when tensions rise.”
India has been Bangladesh's most steadfast friend and partner for decades, she said, describing the ties between the nations as “deep and fundamental”.
Hasina said the relations will outlast any temporary government, adding that she is confident that once legitimate governance is restored, Bangladesh will return to the sensible partnership cultivated over 15 years.
