Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Dhaka is afraid of BJP-ruled Bengal

With BJP in power at the Centre and in Bengal, there's a sense that India’s eastern policy will favour India’s interest and leave less room for accommodating Bangladeshi concerns.

An unexpected development following the West Bengal Assembly election result has been Bangladesh’s response to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s push for stricter border fencing in the state.

Humayun Kabir, the foreign affairs adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, told reporters that he was “not afraid of barbed wire”. It’s an amusing response — why should a peaceful nation have any issue with a neighbouring country securing its border?

While Kabir said that Bangladesh has no interest in interfering in India’s internal matters and would engage only with the central government through dialogue, his reaction suggests something else.

It’s evident that the BJP’s victory in West Bengal has created a sense of unease within Bangladesh. For sections of Bangladesh’s political establishment, the Trinamool Congress being in power created more room for accommodation during negotiations over water sharing, border management, and security........

© ThePrint