NEW DELHI, May 1: Bangladesh Foreign Ministry has summoned India’s acting High Commissioner Pawan Badhe and lodged a formal protest over certain comments made by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, according to a media report.
Director General (South Asia) Ishrat Jahan conveyed Bangladesh’s position to the Indian diplomat on Thursday, media report quoting an official said. In a social media post, Mr Sarma had claimed last week that 20 foreign nationals were apprehended and pushed back to Bangladesh.
“Rude people don’t understand soft language. We continuously remind ourselves of this prophetic line when we expel infiltrators from Assam who don’t leave themselves. For instance, these 20 illegal Bangladeshis who were PUSHED BACK last night,” Mr Sarma said.
Ms Ishrat told the Indian diplomat that such comments undermine the spirit of friendly relations between the two countries. The official described the remarks as “disparaging” to Bangladesh-India relations and expressed Dhaka’s displeasure.
Ms Ishrat highlighted the importance of exercising restraint when addressing sensitive bilateral issues. The relations between India and Bangladesh witnessed a major downturn after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in 2024.
India and Bangladesh are making efforts to rebuild bilateral ties after Tarique Rahman became prime minister following his Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (NCP) victory in the February parliamentary polls.
Meanwhile, in a related development, an NCP MP Akhtar Hossain, speaking in the Bangladeshi Parliament, expressed concern that Bangladesh may face a refugee crisis with millions deported from India if the BJP comes to power in West Bengal in the State Assembly elections.
He said that if exit polls indicating a BJP win prove accurate and the party forms the government, it may push Bangladeshis back into their country, creating serious challenges. He warned that such a move could result in a “sea of migrants” entering Bangladesh and added that there was no assurance that Muslim migrants would not be sent back from India.
Reacting to the remarks, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress over illegal infiltration, claiming that the party’s supporters were now being exposed. Sharing a video of Hossain’s statement on
Hossain’s remarks come amid closely contested exit poll projections in West Bengal, with surveys indicating a strong performance by the BJP alongside a competitive showing by the Trinamool Congress.
(Rohit Kumar)
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