A message from one neighbour to another

January 3, 2025

DHAKA – The disinformation campaign and lies hurled by certain quarters in India after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s brutal fascist regime are deplorable, and seem to be nothing short of an attempt to destabilise the communal harmony in Bangladesh. Bangladesh believes in and respects the sovereignty of every nation, and we do not meddle in the internal affairs or try to destabilise the peace and harmony of our neighbours.

India has been on an interesting journey. The promises made by the BJP government regarding unemployment and price rises during the 2014 campaign have all but evaporated. India’s unemployment rate is higher than the unemployment rate of both Bangladesh and Pakistan. Indian consumers, being crushed under steep price rises, have yet to see “Ache Din.”

Amid this bleak economic scenario, Manipur is burning, millions of lives could be destroyed on the pretext of NRC in Assam, Dalits face violence and discrimination all over the country, and farmers die by suicide and their protests for a fair deal continues to go unheard. In addition, the extensive violence against women in India (the incident at R G Kar Medical College in Kolkata being a recent example) is an affront to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign.

Muslims in India have been lynched for allegedly eating beef, rapists were garlanded after raping a pregnant Muslim woman, and plans to demolish at least 11 mosques were awaiting court verdicts in December, surprisingly close to the 2025 Rajya Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, as the killing of Bangladeshi citizens by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) continues, blatant interference in our democratic process has taken place, clearly one-sided trade deals have been