India helped give birth to Bangladesh. Without India’s crucial action in 1971 it would not have achieved its freedom so quickly. This fact of history had been quite enough to keep the relations between the neighbours on a cordial and mutually respectable note. Even at the worst of times, India’s image as the bigger country carried weight and was looked upon with dignity. But suddenly now we find Bangladesh under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, head of the interim government, behaving in a strange unfriendly neighbour-like manner, using undiplomatic words and making uncanny suggestions to play one neighbour against the other. There is nothing wrong with that country wanting to build economic bridges with another country, in this case China. As a free country, it has every right to negotiate good deals with China or any other entity in its efforts to rise up among the nations of the world.
It is unfortunate for our country that the interim government is seeking deeper relationship with China rather than seeking to expand the opportunities that have been already laid down by the previous governments. By refusing to follow up on the map of cooperation already laid down, Bangladesh is twisting back the clock by several decades in the development table of the South Asian region.
But, as already said, it is up to the wisdom of that country’s leadership i.e. Dr. Yunus, in this case, to take the call on behalf of his country.
However, he has gone much beyond that by calling on China, which already has a bristly relationship with India, to look at the North East region with its eight states as an “extension” of China. Expressing such violent sentiments towards its neighbour is not only uncalled for, but it is also a malevolent wish against India and more particularly against the people of the north eastern region, who to the very last person have not an iota of a wish to be under the Chinese empire.
It is only right that the entire line up of political leaders in India, regardless of parties and colours or ideologies, have risen up as one to voice their strong objection to Dr. Yunus’ waving of the red flag. He, in fact, should be concentrating on getting his country back on to the democratic rails and giving people the security and safety that they deserve after undergoing an extreme regime change.
As for the Government of India, led by what many say is one of the most stable and powerful Prime Ministers, Narendra Modi, its reaction to the events across the north eastern borders and the highly-provoking words from Yunus, is rather weak and wanting. One hopes that in the next few days a befitting reply will be forthcoming from the Indian Prime Minister and his government. Otherwise, it will be left to the warring Seven Sisters to take up the task, which will be a rather messy affair.
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