There are, in fact, several reasons to make India and Bangladesh collide with each other at times, even if India’s role in liberation of Bangladesh is both pivotal and historical. One of these is the use of land of Bangladesh at times to wage war against India. Without a shred of doubt, an assortment of evidences including documents do proclaim that Bangladesh has been used time and again by NE (North-east of India) militants; it has been used both as bastion and transit point. Bangladesh, however, has never left any stone unturned to shrug off all these accusations, termed as depiction of India’s magisterial standpoint in the Indian subcontinent.
Conspicuously, there has hardly been any difference in Bangladeshi standpoint even if the regime changes in the country and hence, its avowal to eradicate terrorism and religious extremism now has blown India out of the water.
Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) A.K. Khandker, Minister of Planning in the present Sheikh Hasina Government in Bangladesh, stated categorically recently that the governance there had introduced an “uncompromising fight against terrorism and extremism.” He was at New Delhi to inaugurate 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore.
On the occasion at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, UPA chief Sonia Gandhi said Tagore endorsed unity through diversity and also appended that it was “all the more pertinent today when certain forces in the country want uniformity in diversity”. A.K. Khandker, chief guest at the program, elucidated how Tagore’s rich ideals of peace and happiness for the downtrodden led to a great influence on Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman and at that time he spoke of Bangladesh’s steadfastness to eliminate terrorism.
“We in Bangladesh firmly believe that for our region to develop and achieve peace, prosperity and stability, it must be free from the scourge of terrorism and extremism. To this, the government of Sheikh Hasina has launched an uncompromising fight against terrorism and extremism. She has also assured India that Bangladesh will not allow its soil to be used by elements working against the interests of any country.”
What can common Indians say then? Even if we prefer to remain silent, Bangladesh’s generous and pragmatic resolve at this time must be appreciated. But the question remains of the fate of such resolve. Undoubtedly, journey of Bangladesh beginning with ideals of secularism and socialism, no-exploitation has resulted in the evolution of a nation where Islamic hardliners call the shots. There, also, has never been any dearth of religious persecutions on Hindus and other communities and brooding silence of the governance facing all these.
A sober, liberal neighbor is expected by all; India is no exception.
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