Bangladesh Opposition Ups Ante Over 'Push-In' From Bengal

The alleged ‘push-in’ incidents, detention of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s adviser at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and BSF’s humanitarian act towards the illegal infiltrators in the West Bengal border have generated a mixed response in Bangladesh.

Even as India has adopted a non-compromising stance towards illegal immigration from Bangladesh and kept a cool watch on Tarique Rahman signing quite a number of treaties with China, the opposition National Citizens Party (NCP) has raised its voice against the absence of a strong foreign policy by the BNP government.

NCP leader Nasiruddin Patwari who addressed a protest rally and demonstration organized by the 11-party Opposition alliance at Shahbagh in Dhaka on Monday, vehemently criticized the Rehman government for soft-pedalling some of the burning issues.

Citing the ‘chain’ of the alleged 'push-in' incidents at the India-Bangladesh border, and citizen security concerns, Patwari questioned not only the role of Bangladesh National Party (BNP) government but also that of the country's major political parties.

Quoting Maulana Bhashani who had said "West Bengal is mine, Assam is mine, Manipur is mine," Patwari who is also NCP chief coordinator, charged Mr Tarique Rahman for failing to invigorate the foreign policy of Bangladesh.

Patwari even cautioned the BNP Chairman Tarek Rahman against adopting a ‘soft stance’ towards India as the people of Bangladesh would not support any political stand that is considered contrary to the country's interests and independent policymaking.

The BNP government, he alleged, is not playing a sufficiently pro-active role in addressing citizens’ security at the border, complaints related to illegal infiltration, and incidents of deaths.

Calling the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs into question, the NCP coordinator, he demanded that the security of border residents and the protection of national interests must be given equal importance while projecting Bangladesh's diplomatic achievements on the international stage.

According to political observers, fresh debates emerging in Bangladesh's domestic politics have solely centred on the border issue and India-Bangladesh relations. It is widely believed that this matter could become one of the most significant issues in the country's political discourse in the days ahead.

BSF’s Humanitarian Gesture

Twelve Bangladeshi nationals — including four children, several women, and men — who were trying to re-enter Bangladesh from India (Raninagar village under Hogalberia police station in Nadia), had been prevented by Bangladesh Border Guards and other locals on the grounds of ‘push-in’ allegation.

Spending days on end under the open sky, their physical condition began to deteriorate. Amid intense heat, rain, and uncertainty, the condition of the children and women became increasingly alarming, forcing the BSF to act swiftly purely on humanitarian grounds.

Despite the various complexities involving the international border, the BSF rescued them from the zero point and brought them into Indian territory. In view of deteriorating health of some children and women, the entire batch has been shifted to Kolkata and hospitalised.

 Detention of Zahed Ur Rahman

That India does not compromise on the presence of people having a track record of fuelling anti-India propaganda has once again been proved when Zahed Ur Rahman, an adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was stopped by immigration authorities at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday.

Even as it has prompted Dhaka to summon India's chargé d'affaires on Monday to lodge a formal protest, New Delhi declined to initially relent after his name appeared on a security blacklist.

Zahed Ur Rahman arrived on Sunday evening as the head of Bangladesh's delegation to senior officials' meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. But he was flagged during a routine security check and held for more than two hours at the airport.

Rahman, informed sources said, has a long record of making anti-India statements, particularly on his YouTube channel "Zahed's Take," which has been blocked in India. By the time he was granted a one-time exemption to enter, he had chosen to return to Bangladesh on a different flight.

It was later clarified by the Indian Immigration authorities that the granting of a visa is a sovereign decision, not a right. While Rahman was travelling on a regular passport rather than a diplomatic one, he had not applied for an Indian visa, and had instead obtained a SAARC visa through Bangladesh's foreign ministry — without notifying the Indian side.