Professor Anu Muhammad, convener of the Democratic Rights Committee, said that if India utilizes transit through Bangladesh, then Bangladesh should equally have the right to use transit through India.
He also said that Bangladesh does not desire any unequal agreements with India.
He made this statement on Saturday at a seminar titled "India's Hegemony Over Bangladesh: Nature and Necessary Actions" organized by Sarbojonkotha at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Auditorium of the National Press Club.
Anu Muhammad emphasized that the fight against India’s state dominance would become misguided if the specific aspects of this dominance were ignored and attention was diverted elsewhere.
He clarified that India's dominance is not a Hindu-Muslim issue but rather one that can be resisted by fostering solidarity among the people of South Asia.
Addressing the interim government, he said: "The government needs to make all military and civil agreements public. Agreements that are against public interest must be canceled. However, we often hear through various channels that agreements cannot be annulled, that old agreements and projects will continue. But entering into a new Bangladesh under such terms is unacceptable."
He also stressed the importance of enhancing mutual relations with Nepal and Bhutan.
Anu Muhammad further pointed out that during the Liberation War, the Indian state supported the people of Bangladesh for strategic reasons, while the Indian populace stood with the people of Bangladesh out of empathy.
"We will always remember that cooperation, but we will also oppose the hegemony of the Indian state. Sheikh Hasina’s unconditional surrender to this hegemony was motivated by her desire for permanent power without elections," he added.
The former professor of Jahangirnagar University said: "The people of Bangladesh have a specific stance on India. A neighboring large state trying to assert dominance over a smaller state attempting to stand independently has been the main problem. To overcome this dominance, we need to identify its specific aspects and build public opinion."
Engineer Kallol Mostafa outlined the overall picture of Indian dominance over Bangladesh and called for the cancellation of agreements and understandings that serve the interests of Indian state and individual capitalists in India.
He proposed reconsidering agreements such as the transit deal, the Rampal agreement, and power deals, and suggested bringing border killings to multilateral forums.
Moshahida Sultana highlighted the dependence on India in the power and energy sectors.
She discussed various projects in the power sector, including the Baharampur-Pabna transmission line, Surjamani-Comilla transmission line, Adani’s Godda coal power plant in Jharkhand, Rampal coal power plant, and Reliance’s LNG-based power plant in Meghnaghat.
She also said that various projects in the energy sector, such as importing refined oil via the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline and the financial risks of LNG imports, and demanded the cancellation of all such projects due to their strategic risks.
Professor Tanzimuddin Khan mentioned that India’s most sensitive area is its Seven Sisters, which has influenced India’s relations with Bangladesh in various ways.
Regarding the Teesta agreement, he noted that the repeated disputes between the state and the central government of India are largely political. Since Teesta is an international river, the central government of India has full authority to finalize the agreement.
He urged the immediate completion of the Teesta agreement and demanded that all agreements with India be made public.