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Foreign Affairs expert Robinder Sachdev on Monday expressed serious concern over the current public sentiment and statements emerging from leaders in Bangladesh against India, describing them as "threats" targeting Northeast India and warning that these elements in the neighbouring country are actively seeking ways to "hurt" the nation.
Sachdev, reacting to recent remarks by former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said that the statements by present-day leaders in the neighbourhood amount to indirect threats against India's "seven sister states" and should be viewed as a worrying development. "I would call them threats coming out from Bangladesh by the current leaders regarding the seven sister states of India. It is without doubt a worrying signal. In fact, there are so many worrying factors that it is becoming a headache for India," Sachdev said. "The current public opinion in Bangladesh seems to be that they want to hurt India. They say that 'we can create problems in the northeast'; they are repeatedly mentioned by leaders who came from these movements. It seems elements in Bangladesh not only want to sever all relations with India, but they also want to find ways to hurt India," the foreign affairs expert added. Sachdev pointed to recent comments made by the Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, suggesting that Bangladesh's future political direction would be guided by extremist ideological influences. He further noted that during Hasina's tenure, Dhaka took decisive action against insurgent groups from the Northeast and cooperated with New Delhi to push them back. However, he claimed the current atmosphere in Bangladesh appears to be different. "When Yunus says that the political philosophy of Hadi is the political philosophy on which Bangladesh will move for generations to come, it means they are indicating that the seven sister states, or the northeast of India, can be under threat, because we do have problems of insurgency in our northeast. At times, these insurgents cross over to Bangladesh. They get shelter there. During Sheikh Hasina's term, they came down hard, and Bangladesh pushed back those insurgents," he said. His remarks come in the backdrop of a recent email interview of Hasina with ANI, where she strongly criticised the rhetoric surrounding India's Northeast and the so-called "Chicken's Neck" corridor by the current regime in Bangladesh. Hasina, who was ousted from the country following a student-led uprising in August, said that such statements by the regime are "dangerous and irresponsible", stressing that no "serious leader" would issue such threats against its neighbouring country. "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," Hasina said. She further emphasised that such rhetoric does not serve Bangladesh's national interests and warned that India has every right to view such comments with concern. "This rhetoric serves only ideological fantasies, not Bangladesh's national interests. India has every right to view such statements with concern. These voices do not represent the Bangladeshi people, who understand that our prosperity and security depend on strong ties with India. Once democracy is restored and responsible governance returns, such reckless talk will end," the former PM added. (ANI)
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