Amidst Iran-Pakistan war, Bangladesh scares India

Amidst the Iran-Pakistan war, forces hating Modi have tried to intimidate India. The opposition parties sitting in Bangladesh are finding the path to Maldives easy. To come to power, the opposition parties of Bangladesh have started running India Out campaign in their own country. Just like the opposition parties of Maldives had done. The opposition parties of Bangladesh feel that the way Maldives has easily pitted the Muslims of its country against India by taking money from China. Exactly the same can be done in Bangladesh also. Bangladesh is also an Islamic country. Here Muslims can be instigated in the name of Modi.

Anti-India Khaleda Zia’s BNP party has started India Out campaign in Bangladesh. The campaign, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), focuses on calling for a boycott of Indian products, a strategy being led by Tariq Rahman, the BNP’s acting president and son of former leaders Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda. BNP was a party which once had a significant hold on the country. It suffered a decline after losing power in 2009. The subsequent election boycott and minimal success in the 2019 elections have left the party in a state of crisis. It is in this context that the BNP has adopted the ‘India Out’ strategy as part of a new political maneuver.

role of tariq rehman

Reports suggest that Tariq Rehman, who is living in exile in London, is running the ‘India Out’ campaign from abroad. Rehman’s influence adds a unique dimension to the party’s initiatives. The ‘India Out’ campaign is mainly running on social media platforms. Various accounts, including accounts with over 50,000 followers, are using hashtags like #IndiaOut to promote the message of boycotting Indian products. Despite the pace of the campaign, the premise of its narrative seems confusing. The allegation that India is interfering in Bangladesh’s affairs contradicts the fact that Bangladesh has prospered and is on track to become a developing nation by 2026.

historical context

Under BNP rule, Bangladesh had close relations with Pakistan, leading to social radicalism and anti-India sentiments. Sheikh Hasina’s subsequent leadership has worked to correct these imbalances, aligning the country with the vision of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who believed in close ties between Bangladesh and India. Recent changes in the Bangladesh cabinet have raised concerns, with the removal of notable pro-India figures such as Abdul Momen and Abdur Razzaq. However, analysts have cautioned against making too much of these changes, as the reshuffle involves a broader reset, with some new faces included.