Since the beginning of his tenure as prime minister, Narendra Modi has looked to India’s neighbours in a bid to burnish his foreign policy credentials. The heads of state of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation countries were invited to New Delhi for his swearing-in, an unprecedented turn. The tiny kingdom of Bhutan was his first port of call internationally. His External Affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, has now made Bangladesh her first official visit.
But all this positive projection doesn’t mean neighbouring nations will forget the vitriol he relied on in some parts of his campaign, especially when campaigning in states like Assam and West Bengal, where cross-border migration from Bangladesh are contentious political topics.
While newspapers and commentators in India are focusing on the Land Border Agreement and the Teesta river water sharing treaty, those in Bangladesh have a few other areas of concern:
Border killings
“Tell me what other set of nations, in this modern world, claiming to have a special relationship, based on a long shared cultural heritage with each other, still kill and torture each other’s citizens on their borders regularly?” Matthew Islam asks, in the Dhaka Tribune. “Even in this dubious exchange, India has gotten away by doing far more to our citizens than we have theirs.”
Few people are aware of the state of the India-Bangladesh border, thanks to all the focus on the neighbour to the West, but it is amongst the most dangerous in the world. Human Rights Watch estimated about a 1,000 people killed by India’s Border Security Force between 2001-2010, which is a death about every four days, a number that rarely comes up in Indian commentary on the relationship.
During his campaign, Modi went as far to suggest that rhinoceros were being killed in Assam to make space for Bangladeshis crossing the border. Dhaka hopes to see more level-headed analysis of what is understandably a touchy issue. Just a few days ago the Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and Modi’s government became entangled in a war of words over Dhaka’s proposal to start visas-on-arrival for select Bangladeshis.
Unacknowledged assistance
There is no question that the United Progressive Alliance government let Dhaka down by failing to move forward on both the Land Border Agreement as well as the Teesta river water sharing agreement. Yet, they were able to point to an obstructionist ally in West Bengal – Mamata Banerjee.
But there are a number of other areas in which Bangladesh helps India that are rarely acknowledged on these shores.
“India, of course, may press for road and railways transit according to its own requirements,” says a leader in Dhaka-based Independent. “The Bangladesh government has already made it clear that the demand will get a patient hearing while announcing that India can transport food grains to its north-eastern states through Bangladesh territory free of cost. This is indicative of the government’s highly positive stand on the question of maintaining bilateral ties with India.”
Condescending Attitude
There is no question that India dominates the region, and policy-makers in Bangladesh are keenly aware that New Delhi likes to play up its involvement in the creation of their country. Yet, India’s often condescending attitude has become something of a sore point.
Bangladeshi commentators across the board, pro-India or not, insist that Swaraj must not arrive with the heavy-handed approach that people in Bangladesh seem to expect from New Delhi.
“If the majority of the people of Bangladesh are disappointed or annoyed with the perceived “arrogance” or “highhandedness” of the Modi government, the Bangladesh government may not get support from its people to meet an Indian request for any facility because bilateral relation should be a two-way street, not a one-way street,” writes Harun ur Rashid, in the Daily Star. “A larger neighbour has certain responsibilities to lead the way for its smaller neighbours.”
Two-way street
If New Delhi can raise concerns about Dhaka’s dealings with other countries – especially about China attempting to woo Bangladesh in India’s absence – why can’t the Bangladeshis lecture India on its own approach to other countries?
That’s the spirit in which Bangladesh Today decides to give the Modi government some advice on what it might do to assuage concerns of Muslims the world over after the heated rhetoric of his campaign. The suggestion: look to the Gulf and away from Israel.
“It would also be in Modi’s interest to allay any fears of his party’s closeness to Israel,” says a leader in the paper. “India – with its vast and growing economy, large Muslim population, geographical proximity and increasing strategic influence in Asia – looms larger over the Gulf than ever before. Underlying India’s pursuit of a closer bond with the Gulf would follow increased investments in diverse sectors in the last several years. Building on expanding strategic influence for Gulf-wide security would help take the relations to a new level and have appeal for Muslims of the Gulf and Middle East.”
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
But all this positive projection doesn’t mean neighbouring nations will forget the vitriol he relied on in some parts of his campaign, especially when campaigning in states like Assam and West Bengal, where cross-border migration from Bangladesh are contentious political topics.
While newspapers and commentators in India are focusing on the Land Border Agreement and the Teesta river water sharing treaty, those in Bangladesh have a few other areas of concern:
Border killings
“Tell me what other set of nations, in this modern world, claiming to have a special relationship, based on a long shared cultural heritage with each other, still kill and torture each other’s citizens on their borders regularly?” Matthew Islam asks, in the Dhaka Tribune. “Even in this dubious exchange, India has gotten away by doing far more to our citizens than we have theirs.”
Few people are aware of the state of the India-Bangladesh border, thanks to all the focus on the neighbour to the West, but it is amongst the most dangerous in the world. Human Rights Watch estimated about a 1,000 people killed by India’s Border Security Force between 2001-2010, which is a death about every four days, a number that rarely comes up in Indian commentary on the relationship.
During his campaign, Modi went as far to suggest that rhinoceros were being killed in Assam to make space for Bangladeshis crossing the border. Dhaka hopes to see more level-headed analysis of what is understandably a touchy issue. Just a few days ago the Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and Modi’s government became entangled in a war of words over Dhaka’s proposal to start visas-on-arrival for select Bangladeshis.
Unacknowledged assistance
There is no question that the United Progressive Alliance government let Dhaka down by failing to move forward on both the Land Border Agreement as well as the Teesta river water sharing agreement. Yet, they were able to point to an obstructionist ally in West Bengal – Mamata Banerjee.
But there are a number of other areas in which Bangladesh helps India that are rarely acknowledged on these shores.
“India, of course, may press for road and railways transit according to its own requirements,” says a leader in Dhaka-based Independent. “The Bangladesh government has already made it clear that the demand will get a patient hearing while announcing that India can transport food grains to its north-eastern states through Bangladesh territory free of cost. This is indicative of the government’s highly positive stand on the question of maintaining bilateral ties with India.”
Condescending Attitude
There is no question that India dominates the region, and policy-makers in Bangladesh are keenly aware that New Delhi likes to play up its involvement in the creation of their country. Yet, India’s often condescending attitude has become something of a sore point.
Bangladeshi commentators across the board, pro-India or not, insist that Swaraj must not arrive with the heavy-handed approach that people in Bangladesh seem to expect from New Delhi.
“If the majority of the people of Bangladesh are disappointed or annoyed with the perceived “arrogance” or “highhandedness” of the Modi government, the Bangladesh government may not get support from its people to meet an Indian request for any facility because bilateral relation should be a two-way street, not a one-way street,” writes Harun ur Rashid, in the Daily Star. “A larger neighbour has certain responsibilities to lead the way for its smaller neighbours.”
Two-way street
If New Delhi can raise concerns about Dhaka’s dealings with other countries – especially about China attempting to woo Bangladesh in India’s absence – why can’t the Bangladeshis lecture India on its own approach to other countries?
That’s the spirit in which Bangladesh Today decides to give the Modi government some advice on what it might do to assuage concerns of Muslims the world over after the heated rhetoric of his campaign. The suggestion: look to the Gulf and away from Israel.
“It would also be in Modi’s interest to allay any fears of his party’s closeness to Israel,” says a leader in the paper. “India – with its vast and growing economy, large Muslim population, geographical proximity and increasing strategic influence in Asia – looms larger over the Gulf than ever before. Underlying India’s pursuit of a closer bond with the Gulf would follow increased investments in diverse sectors in the last several years. Building on expanding strategic influence for Gulf-wide security would help take the relations to a new level and have appeal for Muslims of the Gulf and Middle East.”
