On Monday, the foreign ministry of the interim government of Bangladesh protested to India after Union Home Minister Amit Shah deemed Bangladeshi nationals as ‘infiltrators’. The Foreign Ministry in Bangladesh officially filed this protest note at the offices of the Deputy High Commissioner of India in Dhaka. The note accented that Shah’s comments are highly deplorable and stated severe concerns, pointing out that the Bangladeshi government is feeling deep hurt and extreme displeasure.
Addressing the Indian government through the protest note, the Ministry expressed its deep displeasure and urged India to instruct its political leaders not to make such ‘bad-mouthing and unpardonable ’ statements. The note said that remarks made from official positions that focus on the people of a neighboring country are aimed at negating the positive relations between two friendly nations.
The furor occurred during an election rally in Jharkhand when Amit Shah said that the BJP would deport people he described as Bangladesh ‘intruders’ if voted into power. He said that the party has a plan to hang every infiltrator as a warning and to ensure that such people are not in that region again. Shah also claimed that infiltrators create voters for political competitors like the Lalu Yadav party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha team, and the Rahul Gandhi Congress party.
Some of his remarks have elicited the ire of the Bangladeshi authorities, who see such talk as politically sensitive and unhelpful to relations between nations. It reminds us of still simmering tensions between India and Bangladesh, mainly concerning immigration problems and questions of nationality. These issues must be handled delicately to sustain the bilateral relationship between the two nations and foster stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
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