08-27-2004, 03:36 AM
Hate-India movement in Bangladesh
- By Seema Mustafa
http://www.asianage.com/
Dhaka, Aug. 25: "You have come from India, perhaps that is why all
these things are happening here now," said Bangladesh's law minister,
barrister Maudud Ahmad, to The Asian Age. He was referring to the
assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed, and
there was not a trace of a smile on his lips when he made what
appeared to be an accusation. "Yes, we have carried the bombs with
us," was a flippant reply that evoked only a grim stare as the
minister moved away to speak to others not from India.
<b>There is a strong anti-India sentiment running through Bangladesh
that is apparent even to a casual visitor. </b>Bangladeshis admit to
this, with a senior journalist pointing out that India-Bangladesh
relations "are today very bad, there is a lot of suspicion and no
warmth at all." A non-functional government and a hyper Opposition
might not see eye to eye on any issue, but are united in putting the
blame on India for everything that goes wrong. A journalist told this
correspondent almost within an hour of landing in Dhaka that the
devastating floods that had covered two-thirds of Bangladesh took
place because India had opened the Farakka reservoir gates and
deliberately allowed the flooding.
New Delhi has allowed matters to slide to a point where Bangladesh is
virtually ignored in its South Asian strategy. Indian officials point
out that matters are sliding to a point of no return, with extremism
taking on an active anti-India dimension â <b>with the northeastern
states being the direct target.</b> One of the more serious charges
levelled by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Awami League chief Sheikh
Hasina against each other is of being pro-India. In a kind of
schizophrenic response, both women leaders are also keen to
demonstrate that they are close to New Delhi and at the same time use
this to attack the other for "selling out" to India. For instance,
the Bangladesh Prime Minister was among the first to send a special
emissary to mend fences with the new UPA government within days of
its assuming power. Sheikh Hasina followed later, and met Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh before going on to Ajmer Sharif for
pilgrimage. Both then attacked the other for currying favour with New
Delhi.
Journalists pointed out that it was this kind of politics that
had "unnecessarily politicised relations with India to a point where
neither the BNP or the Awami League is leaving the other with the
locus standi to mend fences with India." He said that in her last
three years in power Sheikh Hasina had distanced herself from New
Delhi because of the propaganda that "she is pro-India." When asked
about this "pro-India" label, the former Prime Minister immediately
pointed out that it was Begum Khaleda Zia who had sent an emissary to
greet the new government first.
A senior editor known to have independent views said the anti-India
sentiment arose out of acute poverty, frustration and growing anger.
The government, he said, lost no time in diverting the anger towards
India with the issues of illegal migrants, economic policies, river
waters all melting into one anti-Indian pot. He said that New
Delhi's "arrogance" also added to the sentiment. Indian high
commissioners to Bangladesh in the past have pointed out the urgency
for New Delhi to recognise the problem and evolve a strategy to deal
with the issue. "The assassination attempt on Sheikh Hasina is a
defining moment," sources said, pointing out that it was time India
woke up to the growing security threats within Bangladesh.
At a cultural evening organised by a Bangladeshi businessman for the
visiting South Asian journalists, tempers suddenly flared over a
Pakistani colleague's ill-timed reference to Rabindranath Tagore. The
duo on stage had just announced that they would be singing Nazrul
Islam songs, to which the Pakistani journalist said: "Why don't you
also sing Tagore songs?" Senior Bangladeshi intellectuals present at
the gathering voiced their resentment. "This is not right at all,
this is not any way to behave," they told the Indian journalists, who
were quick to point out that the intervention had come from a
Pakistani and not from them. It was clear at the very onset that the
bonhomie was just surface deep, <b>and that relations between India and
Bangladesh need to be worked on, with the larger country taking the
initiative.</b> <!--emo&:grenade--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/grenade.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='grenade.gif' /><!--endemo--> <i>[usual recipe for India from DDM]</i>
- By Seema Mustafa
http://www.asianage.com/
Dhaka, Aug. 25: "You have come from India, perhaps that is why all
these things are happening here now," said Bangladesh's law minister,
barrister Maudud Ahmad, to The Asian Age. He was referring to the
assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed, and
there was not a trace of a smile on his lips when he made what
appeared to be an accusation. "Yes, we have carried the bombs with
us," was a flippant reply that evoked only a grim stare as the
minister moved away to speak to others not from India.
<b>There is a strong anti-India sentiment running through Bangladesh
that is apparent even to a casual visitor. </b>Bangladeshis admit to
this, with a senior journalist pointing out that India-Bangladesh
relations "are today very bad, there is a lot of suspicion and no
warmth at all." A non-functional government and a hyper Opposition
might not see eye to eye on any issue, but are united in putting the
blame on India for everything that goes wrong. A journalist told this
correspondent almost within an hour of landing in Dhaka that the
devastating floods that had covered two-thirds of Bangladesh took
place because India had opened the Farakka reservoir gates and
deliberately allowed the flooding.
New Delhi has allowed matters to slide to a point where Bangladesh is
virtually ignored in its South Asian strategy. Indian officials point
out that matters are sliding to a point of no return, with extremism
taking on an active anti-India dimension â <b>with the northeastern
states being the direct target.</b> One of the more serious charges
levelled by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Awami League chief Sheikh
Hasina against each other is of being pro-India. In a kind of
schizophrenic response, both women leaders are also keen to
demonstrate that they are close to New Delhi and at the same time use
this to attack the other for "selling out" to India. For instance,
the Bangladesh Prime Minister was among the first to send a special
emissary to mend fences with the new UPA government within days of
its assuming power. Sheikh Hasina followed later, and met Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh before going on to Ajmer Sharif for
pilgrimage. Both then attacked the other for currying favour with New
Delhi.
Journalists pointed out that it was this kind of politics that
had "unnecessarily politicised relations with India to a point where
neither the BNP or the Awami League is leaving the other with the
locus standi to mend fences with India." He said that in her last
three years in power Sheikh Hasina had distanced herself from New
Delhi because of the propaganda that "she is pro-India." When asked
about this "pro-India" label, the former Prime Minister immediately
pointed out that it was Begum Khaleda Zia who had sent an emissary to
greet the new government first.
A senior editor known to have independent views said the anti-India
sentiment arose out of acute poverty, frustration and growing anger.
The government, he said, lost no time in diverting the anger towards
India with the issues of illegal migrants, economic policies, river
waters all melting into one anti-Indian pot. He said that New
Delhi's "arrogance" also added to the sentiment. Indian high
commissioners to Bangladesh in the past have pointed out the urgency
for New Delhi to recognise the problem and evolve a strategy to deal
with the issue. "The assassination attempt on Sheikh Hasina is a
defining moment," sources said, pointing out that it was time India
woke up to the growing security threats within Bangladesh.
At a cultural evening organised by a Bangladeshi businessman for the
visiting South Asian journalists, tempers suddenly flared over a
Pakistani colleague's ill-timed reference to Rabindranath Tagore. The
duo on stage had just announced that they would be singing Nazrul
Islam songs, to which the Pakistani journalist said: "Why don't you
also sing Tagore songs?" Senior Bangladeshi intellectuals present at
the gathering voiced their resentment. "This is not right at all,
this is not any way to behave," they told the Indian journalists, who
were quick to point out that the intervention had come from a
Pakistani and not from them. It was clear at the very onset that the
bonhomie was just surface deep, <b>and that relations between India and
Bangladesh need to be worked on, with the larger country taking the
initiative.</b> <!--emo&:grenade--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/grenade.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='grenade.gif' /><!--endemo--> <i>[usual recipe for India from DDM]</i>