Indian Foreign Secretary, Harsh Vardhan Shringla abruptly reached Bangladesh on August 18 on an unscheduled visit. It was claimed that Sringla would go to Bangladesh as a special messenger of the Indian Prime Minister Modi carrying his an undeclared message supposed to be handed over to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Bangladesh government was kept totally uninformed regarding such an unscheduled hurricane visit. The Indian foreign ministry didn’t even contact anyone from the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry. Such an abnormal and sudden visit, in the truest sense, is just an intrusion to Bangladesh that is tantamount to violating and denying its independence and sovereignty.
Indian leadership must openly say whether they believe, in words and deeds, that Bangladesh is an independently sovereign and separate country or whether it is like any other state of India or zamindari of India where Indians can enter anytime as they wish. Seeing the attitude of the Indian leadership, it seems that Bangladesh, in their psyche, is their shadow state, otherwise how could Shringla go to Bangladesh without any prior notice? Shringla would not have entered Bangladesh if he had the slightest sense of etiquette and diplomatic norms.
Shringla, a follower of the RSS and ISKCON, shouldn’t have been allowed entry to Bangladesh in such a manner. Riva Ganguly, the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, needs to be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and told firmly that no Indian visitors in the future will be allowed to enter Bangladesh if the proper diplomatic norm is not followed and observed.
It is an internationally established norm that whenever any foreign official pays a visit to another independent country the date, time, agendas, and even itineraries of the visit are fixed beforehand by both the countries, no matter how stormy the visit it may be. But in the case of Shringla’s visit, this practiced norm was totally ignored.
Even before Sringla, some officials from India came to Bangladesh on so-called hurricane tours but those visits were discussed in advance. Such a hurricane tour is held in case of insignificant countries or vassal states. India seems to consider Bangladesh to be at that level. It is something like visiting a vassal state to convey instructions to their yes-men and to evaluate their performances or give them warnings.
It was reported in the Indian media that Sringla would stay in Bangladesh for some hours and leave for New Delhi on the same day. Therefore, Bangladesh gave virtually no official importance to Shringla’s (personal?) tour.
No official from the Bangladesh foreign ministry went to the airport to greet Shringla. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Reva Ganguly Das welcomed him. Shringla had to wait a long time in a hotel before meeting Sheikh Hasina. The meeting was supposed to be held in the afternoon, but delayed until nighttime. No one, not even a photojournalist, was allowed to cover the meeting between the Bangladesh Prime Minister and the Indian Foreign Secretary. The picture that was sent to the press was old, one that was photographed during Shringla’s previous visit to Bangladesh in March this year.
No one knows what was discussed at the meeting. There was no trace of Modi’s so-called ‘special message’ to Sheikh Hasina. The online version of the daily Manabjamin of Dhaka said Modi’s alleged message was verbal. Knowledgable sources alleged the zest of Modi’s message was actually an excuse to send Shringla to Bangladesh, to intimidate Sheikh Hasina that she would lose her position if she continues her close relationship with China.
Soon after the report of Shringla’s tempest tour to Dhaka was flashed in the media, Bangladeshis, even in the remote areas, speculated various types of reasons. The speculation that topped the priority was that Shringla was sent to Bangladesh to save the murderer OC Pradeep, who is under arrest for killing Ex-Major Sinha. The second perception was to warn Sheikh Hasina that she might lose her position if she doesn’t retreat from China.
The Manabjamin of Dhaka revealed some brief reasons that prompted India to send Shringla to such an unwelcome visit to Bangladesh. These are:
1. India is more concerned about China’s presence in Bangladesh.
2. China’s one-billion-dollar loan to Dhaka on the Teesta project upset New Delhi.
3. India’s concern heightened when Bangladesh agreed to allow the third phase of the Chinese vaccine trial.
4. India is also skeptical of Chinese funding for the Sylhet-Osmani International Airport project.
5. Telephonic conversations between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Pakistani counterpart, Imran Khan aggravated India’s headache further.
6. India’s worry and anger multiplied when Bangladesh refrained from condemning the killings of 20 Indian soldiers by the Chinese in Ladakh.
India’s such concerns, objections and opposition uncover one reality that it does not consider Bangladesh as a separate and independent sovereign country. India’s policymakers think that Bangladesh has no right to have any kind of relationship with any country other than India or the country of India’s choice. Indian leaders want that all the developmental works of Bangladesh must be performed by India whether it has the capability or not. India has strong objections against Bangladesh’s deep ties with any country that does not care about it.
India cannot say openly that Bangladesh must not involve China in any of its developmental projects and Bangladesh must not maintain a deep relationship with China, as it is contrary to India’s geo-eco strategic interest.
But it is China that is directly involved in constructing various infrastructure projects in India. The statue of Patel (tallest in the world) in Gujarat is being constructed by the Chinese. India borrowed billions of dollars from China. India’s first-class media outlet, Anandabazar Patrika says, Modi as Indian Prime Minister, visited China more times than all of his predecessors. Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, Narasimha Rao and Vajpayee visited China once during their respective tenures. Manmohan Singh visited China twice. Indira Gandhi never visited China. But Modi visited China five times. To collect money, Modi even visited China four times when he was the Chief Minister of Gujrat. (Anandabazar Patrika, June 14, 2020).
Despite Chinese troops occupying Indian territory in the Ladakh sector and massacring 20 Indian soldiers, Modi did not utter a single word naming China, let alone condemn China. Being scared of leaking the secrets of receiving money from China, Modi told Indians: “Kuch hua hi nahi (nothing has happened).” “No one has entered our territory, or no one has occupied our territory,” he added, though Chinese authorities show no interest in withdrawing troops. They are very much inside the Indian territory at the time of (September 5, 2020) filing this article to the press.
Failing to oust the Chinese from his country, Modi now asks the Bangladesh government to drive away from the Chinese from Bangladesh who are entirely engaged in non-military, commercial activities. India trembles seeing the Chinese in Bangladesh. Bangladesh should have closer relations with China to safeguard its geo-strategic and economic interests. China may benefit financially in Bangladesh, but it will not occupy our country.
China is the most reliable associate in constructing our basic infrastructure. There are few mega-projects in Bangladesh devoid of Chinese cooperation. In this respect, India can’t be compared to China. India’s contribution is below 5 percent. We had no desire to lean to China but India has pushed Bangladesh since 16th December 1971 to find friends to counter it. China is such a friend for Bangladesh. India is not only exploiting Bangladesh, it is also trying to control and occupy our country.
Suiting Indian interests we are constructing our roads, bridges, ports, infrastructure, and digging rivers. India uses these facilities almost free of cost. India bids to control everything that we have. It has infiltrated its agents, even its own nationals, in all sectors of Bangladesh. These Indians are being officially recorded as Bangladeshis.
The above-mentioned Indian concern is nothing, but an excuse for having control over Bangladesh for ultimate occupation. We will not let that happen. If India has the right to seek help from many countries to contain and confront China, Bangladesh reserves the same right to deter the Indian bullying and its hegemonic paw. Above all, it has the right to seek any kind of cooperation from any country in the world, including China, whether India likes it or not. At present, India seeks military materials from many countries, but we seek economic cooperation from China, which is totally for developmental works.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman upheld the spirit of the sovereign power of Bangladesh at the official residence of the then Indian President V.V. Giri during his 4-day (May 12-16, 1974) state visit to India. During the signing of the water agreement the then Indian foreign minister, Sardar Swaran Singh referring to Bangabandhu’s participation at the OIC Lahore conference (of 1974) and said, “Bangabondhu, the people of India might misunderstand you because it was our understanding that our foreign policy shall be coordinated. But with you joining in Lahore meeting there was no coordination. Therefore, there was no consultation. The people of India may think we are not following the same foreign policy with Pakistan.”
Before Sardar Singh could complete his question, Bangabondhu thumbed the table so hard that the coffee cups spilled saying, “Mr. Swaran Singh, don’t teach me subcontinental politics. But remember, I understand the differences between coordination and subordination. I don’t need anybody’s permission to go and visit the OIC. I represent a country where 90% are Muslims. We are the second largest Muslim nation in the world. I have gone to join them whether it is in Lahore or Islamabad or anywhere else is a different thing. But I don’t need anybody’s permission.”
(Speech of Asafuddullah, the then Secretary of Water Resources, at a roundtable conference held in 2010 at the National Press Club of Dhaka. )
Bangladeshis still possess the same spirit with regards to their sovereignty. Why should we care whatever India thinks regarding our friendship with China or any other country? No matter what India thinks, we have a sovereign right to have a deep relationship with any country in our interest whether it is China or Pakistan or Afghanistan. We are not the slaves of India or any particular country.
If India accepts Bangladesh as an independent-sovereign country, then it cannot object to our foreign policy. Its attitude simply pushes Bangladesh to find reliable and trouble free friendly countries. It is our affair with which country we need to develop a friendly relationship for our national interest and what kind of benefits we will give them and get from them.
Why should India feel worried if Bangladesh refrained from condemning China when it killed 20 Indian soldiers in Ladakh? Why should we stand for India?The Indian BSF along our border is killing us since 1972. Has India taken the slightest step to stop such extrajudicial killings, or did it ever regret? Were any one of these murderers prosecuted by India? The BSF killed our daughter and kept her dead body hanging on a barbed wire-fence. Having such experiences, should we weep in grief for the Indian soldiers killed in Ladakh?
India has never been friendly with us. Its role is always worse than an enemy’s. Its cooperation in 1971 is used as a ruthless excuse to loot, squeeze and ultimately grab Bangladesh.
Frankly, a hardliner communal and aggressive country like India is a serious threat to all of its neighbors. A fakir (poor) country like India has turned itself into an arms depot, detonating nuclear bombs and buying weapons from all over the world, to establish its supremacy on its neighbors. To resist India’s aggressive paw all the neighbors, including Bangladesh, are leaning towards China. India will not be able to bring any country under its fold. No country considers it as a safe neighbor. It already occupied its neighbor Sikkim, though it pledged to safeguard Sikkim’s independent existence, defense and autonomy (see the 1950 Sikkim-India Treaty). It is as though India itself says, “Do not believe us.”
Even many Indians do not believe in their homeland. There are many ethnic groups inside India that are fighting to liberate their respective regions. The further partition of India will be the only way to build a safe and peaceful South Asia. The existence of smaller countries in the region will remain under threat until this vicious country named India ends. So the smaller countries are leaning towards China. China has now become a ‘natural’ ally of these countries. The pro-Chinese trend sweeps over Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and even Bhutan and Bangladesh.
Though the governments of the Maldives and Bangladesh are known as pro-India, the reality is totally opposite. It is not the age of Hari Singh and Sheikh Abdullah of Kashmir. It is the age of the people. If the Hari Singh or Lhendruf Dorjee (Sikkim) saga is re-staged in the case of Bangladesh, it will be a boomerang to India. During the last 72 years (1948-2020), India has been using the traitor, Sheikh Abdullah and his successors, along with 8 million regular soldiers and unknown numbers of paramilitary, to extinguish the flame of independence of the 8 million Kashmiris, but it failed.
India will burn itself in the fire of 180 million Bangladeshis, a heroic nation armed with a skilled professional defense force. Such a venture will bring about more horrible and dangerous havoc that will divide India further.
*The writer is a New York-based journalist & researcher.
September 6, 2020
