Was there a secret agreement between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman? BJP MP’s allegation – Congress had given free hand to Bangladeshis

News India Live, Digital Desk: During the discussion on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, the BJP MP made a scathing attack on the Congress. He claimed that after the 1971 war, there was an agreement between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman which was never made public. Under this agreement, it was said to ignore infiltration allegedly for vote bank politics.1. 3 main points of the BJP MP’s allegations: Silence on illegal infiltration: The MP alleged that the Congress government deliberately encouraged illegal infiltration into the North-Eastern states and West Bengal for decades so as to create a safe ‘vote bank’. Citing documents: He claimed that intelligence files indicate that the then government had given priority to political interests at the cost of border security. Demographic change: The BJP leader argued that this ‘secret The result of the ‘Accord’ is that today the demography of the border districts has completely changed.2. Historical context: India-Bangladesh Friendship Treaty of 1972 Officially, the ‘India-Bangladesh Friendship, Cooperation and Peace Treaty’ was signed between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka on 19 March 1972. Its main points were: Respect for sovereignty: Both countries promised to respect each other’s territorial integrity. Military assistance: To help each other in the event of any third party attack. Cultural and economic exchange: Cooperation in trade and development. Return of refugees: To initiate the process of repatriating millions of refugees who came during the war. 3. Congress’s reaction (Opposition’s Stand) The Congress party has termed these allegations as “completely baseless and a distortion of history”. Congress leaders say: Mukti Bahini and a proud moment: The 1971 victory and the creation of Bangladesh was India’s biggest diplomatic and military victory, pointing fingers at it is an insult to the army. Election stunt: The opposition alleges that the BJP is digging up old history to polarize in view of the upcoming assembly elections (West Bengal and Assam). 4. Expert Opinion Historians believe that the 1972 treaty was transparent, but border management and citizenship issues (such as the cut-off date under the Mujib-Indira Pact) have always been a matter of controversy. This new claim of BJP is giving a new political dimension to this controversy by talking about ‘secret agreement’.