The international community dismayingly watched how Bangladeshis denounced the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh on the 50th. anniversary of its independence. Though Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh was under the cover of an unprecedented security carpet, his visit was marred by huge demonstrations of thousands of common people along the streets chanting anti-Modi and anti-India slogans.
Since Modi enacted anti-Bangladesh and anti-Muslim laws in 2019, various parties and groups have expressed their determination not to allow him to visit Bangladesh. So, Modi had to face a humiliating experience in Bangladesh.
Independent analysts of Dhaka stated that Indian intelligence agencies manipulated the bloody demonstration during Modi’s visit to implement and manipulate at least four outcomes:
(1) To show the western democracies, particularly the United States, that Bangladesh is still beset with Islamic fundamentalism, so it needs to be kept isolated.
(2) To create anti-Muslim sentiments among the Hindus, as a Hindu mandir was attack during the staged demonstration.
(3) To scare Sheikh Hasina so that she takes shelter under India’s shadow.
(4) To incite Sheikh Hasina to crush Muslims further.
Let us see how the Indian media projected Modi’s unwelcome visit to Bangladesh. An online paper acknowledged: “— the visit was overshadowed by violent protests in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere.”
The oldest Bengali language daily of Kolkata, Anandabazar Patrika of April 3, 2021 reported massive unrest, conflicts, tussles and violence, adding a black stigma to Modi’s tour of Bangladesh.
It reported that extremist Islamic groups who had already branded Modi as an anti-Muslim element, were further angered when they learnt that Modi decided to attend at the 50th. anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence.
The Indian National Herald stated that thousands of protesters had gathered outside Dhaka’s Baitul Mokarram mosque after Friday prayers on March 26, 2021. Protests held across Bangladesh accused Modi of stoking religious tensions and persecuting Muslims in India. They even slammed Modi for “killing Muslims in Gujarat, Kashmir, Delhi and other parts of India”.
People are angry with Modi as his government has passed several laws which make Muslims second-class citizens in India.
Bangladeshis are also angered about Modi for his false display of big brotherly love. People allege that Bangladesh is yet to receive its fair share of Teesta River water and that their rivers, ports and the Sundarbans are “all victims of Indian aggression”. They also accuse India of interfering in Bangladesh’s internal politics.
Foez Ullah, president of the Bangladesh Students’ Union, said “Modi’s policies go against the basic tenets of Bangladesh’s founding principles.”
Still, Modi wanted to win the heart of the Bangladeshis, claiming in his address that he was arrested and jailed for supporting the Liberation War of Bangladesh, though his claim irked controversy and condemnation even in India.
His contention was discarded by Indians. Khagenda Nath Adhikary, the former Principal of South City College, Kolkata, branded Prime Minister Modi’s speech in Dhaka centering on the Bangladesh Liberation War as “entirely false”. During a telephonic conversation and later in a letter (written in Bengali) he condemned Modi for lying.
The left-leaning Principal recollecting his memory said that in the early seventies, BJP leaders of today, including Modi, were the activists of Bharatiya Jana Sangh. During the Bangladesh-Pakistan War, the Jana Sangh leaned to the United States and China and technically supported Pakistan.
Professor Adhikary, expressing his dismay, commented on how Modi, standing in Dhaka, could utter such a blunt lie. “Whatever words, letters Modi uttered in Dhaka centering on the Bangladesh Liberation War were entirely lies,” he informed.
“So, it is not true that Modi was arrested or jailed for supporting the Bangladesh War of Liberation,” Principal Adhikary said and added that when it was rumored that the United States’ seventh fleet was heading to the Bay of Bengal in support of Pakistan, Modi and his party Jana Sangh went to the “street greeting of the American decision and demanded not to get involved in the internal affairs of Pakistan.”
“The Indira Gandhi government considered the pro-fleet show of Atal Bihari Bajpayee and his followers, including Modi, as anti-nationalists and anti-humanists in their acts and arrested and jailed Modi and some others,” this aged Principal informed and added, “So Modi was arrested for committing crimes, but not for supporting the Bangladesh Liberation War.”
“I am stumbled upon my thoughts, how Modi, being a PM, could upset and distort his own role and history, and bid to bury his fault,” Principal Adhikary opined.
Salil Tripathi, who wrote for the Daily Star of Bangladesh, uncovered the duplicities that Modi played. He wrote about Modi’s visit on Indian media and how we would see images of him visiting the Matua community and the Hindu temple in Orakandi, a move intended to sway votes in the ongoing elections in West Bengal. Few Indian media outlets spoke of the demonstrations against Modi’s visit or the deaths of several demonstrators. India’s pro-government networks will play up the Hefazat demonstrations and reports of attacks on Hindu temples. This is because Modi’s visit is geared towards achieving the twin governmental objectives of arousing sympathy in India for Hindus in Bangladesh and offering the incidents as evidence of why India’s new rules (ousting the Muslims from India) are needed.
Earlier, I quoted the independent analysts of Dhaka, who opined that Indian agencies manipulated the bloody demonstrations centering on Modi’s visit. Some of these agents might have scared Sheikh Hasina, making her believe that such mob unrest might unseat her. Therefore, they advised her to take precautionary measures without delay.
Their assumption came true, as within hours of Modi’s departure from Bangladesh, an Indian military delegation reached Dhaka. One Shahid Islam, in his Facebook status, branded such a speedy arrival of Indian military party as “something more ominous and pre-planned.” Referring the to the source, he wrote, “A high-powered delegation from the Indian military arrived at Dhaka on March 29 to coordinate something that remains top secret.”
The Indian military delegation included the DG of the Border Road Organization (BRO), Lt. Gen. Rajiv Chowdhury; DDG Eastern Headquarters, Brig. Gen. Birender Singh; Ajoy Kumar Misra, director of planning, BRO; and, Rahul Mahon, an undersecretary for the ministry of defense.
Delhi watched the unfolding of events in Bangladesh in the wake of Modi’s visit — hundreds of thousands of people daily chanted slogans along the streets against Modi and his arrival to Dhaka. Delhi took the gravest risk to send Modi anyway, to get some of the last deals signed with the Hasina regime that seemed to be getting wobbly and prone to collapse.
Shahid Islam disclosed the clandestine reason of Modi’s visit saying, “An exhaustive plan was chalked out while Modi was in Dhaka to save the Hasina regime by using the army command internally, and the Indian military help from without, if needed.”
Modi’s right-hand Amit Shah, addressing an election gathering in West Bengal said that he knows how to do business (i.e., fetch profit). Modi’s visit to Bangladesh was not also without profit, as it went entirely in favor of India, at the cost of the very foundation of Bangladesh. Indians persuaded PM Hasina that it needs to show to all parties that India remains behind Hasina like a rock.
Military analysts are apprehensive that the presence of the Indian army may be suicidal for Bangladesh. “It is just battered business, the Indian army will ensure the longevity of the government, but they will keep Bangladesh under their occupation.“
*The author is a Bangladesh-origin American journalist and researcher.
April 9, 2021
The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of Aequitas Review.
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