by Salman Tarek Shakil in Dhaka Tribune, Aug 20, 2023
*New Delhi says weak Awami League not beneficial
**Opposition parties express distrust towards India
***Internal BNP divisions on interpreting India’s stance
****GM Quader to visit India about elections
*****BNP plans mass gathering on September 1
An article published in the prominent Indian newspaper, Anandabazar Patrika, has sparked controversy and unrest among the opposition parties in Bangladesh.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and several allied parties addressed the “India issue” during a mass rally on Friday.
In their remarks, they expressed distrust towards the neighbouring country.
Some leaders of the BNP and its affiliated parties believe that there might be a “public appeasement strategy” behind the evident stance of their leaders towards the Indian government, centred around the report.
However, they also think that the Anandabazar Patrika report did not clearly reveal the true position of the Indian government, suggesting a different reality instead.
What did Anandabazar Patrika report say?
Anandabazar Patrika’s special report on Friday suggested that New Delhi does not believe that a weakened Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in Bangladesh would be beneficial for either India or the United States.
The report also said that India is not happy with the current role of the United States centred on the upcoming elections in Bangladesh and New Delhi has conveyed this sentiment to the Biden administration in multiple meetings.
BNP and its associate parties’ standpoint
Before the mass rally organized by the BNP’s Dhaka south city unit on Friday, BNP Standing Committee Member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy directed a message to the Indian government: “Manage your own household without taking a stance in favour of the Awami League government. Stop interfering in the affairs of other homes. No intervention can sustain Sheikh Hasina’s rule where 180 million people stand.”
“It has been reported in a newspaper from a neighbouring country that diplomats in Delhi are advising the US that removing Sheikh Hasina would not benefit India or America,” said BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, on the same program.
“We say to the Indian diplomats – Sheikh Hasina has turned the entire country into a colony. Here, we have no voice, no freedom, no rights,” he remarked.
Gono Odhikar Parishad (partial) President Nurul Haque Nur commented: “We desire a friendly relationship with India. But has India been fair to us? We have repeatedly said that relationships cannot be one-sided. The prosecution of war criminals took place under India’s influence. What more is there to understand?”
Internal Discrepancies
However, some senior leaders of the BNP stated that a single newspaper report does not provide a clear insight into India’s significant position.
They think that it would not be right to judge the party based on the remarks of some party leaders who oppose the Indian issue.
A senior leader of the party noted that, unlike the previous elections, India will not publicly take a stand in the upcoming elections.
The country’s government has not even finalized what India’s position would be, he said, adding that the Indian government has been communicating with various political parties regarding the upcoming election.
As part of this, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader will be visiting India to discuss the interim government issue during the election, he added.
A senior leader of the Jatiya Party corroborated the information on Friday night, saying: “Neighbouring countries want to hear from GM Quader about the Bangladesh election issue. While certain responsible figures in India publicly took a stance during previous elections, no such situation is visible this time.”
On this matter, Ganatantra Mancha Coordinator and Bangladesh-er Biplobi Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque said that one cannot deduce the policy strategy of the Indian government based solely on a report of Anandabazar Patrika.
“What we observe is that, compared to 2014 and 2018, the Indian government now seems more cautious and restrained. We have not noticed any reckless comments from them this time. It appears their policy level engagement in building relationships rather than putting all their eggs in one basket has increased,” he added.
BNP plans mass gathering on founding anniversary
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has decided to organize a mass gathering on its 45th founding anniversary on September 1.
Besides conveying political messages, the party will also clarify its stance on protest agendas at this gathering, said a senior leader of the party.
Another leader from the party’s standing committee said that the party will execute another combined action plan in the capital this month before the founding anniversary celebration. In the next few days, the BNP will convene a meeting with its aligned parties regarding the action plan, he added.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/322944/tensions-mount-among-opposition-parties-over
