West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, a BJP leader, has reportedly decided to erect fencing along the Bangladesh border. He has announced the transfer of land to the Border Security Force (BSF) within 45 days for this purpose.
In an initial reaction, the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir said, “Barbed wire is no longer something that can intimidate a country like Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government is no longer afraid of barbed wire.”
He made the remarks on Monday while speaking to journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Humaiun Kobir said, “Barbed wire is no longer something that can intimidate a country like Bangladesh. If you want to engage with people, the people of Bangladesh are not afraid of barbed wire. The government of Bangladesh is also not afraid of barbed wire. Wherever we need to speak, we will speak.”
He added, “People are being killed along the border. We have seen such incidents during Hasina’s regime. That kind of situation will never happen again, Insha’Allah. And if anyone tries to create such conditions at the border, Bangladesh is not a subservient country that will simply sit and watch. Bangladesh has plans on what to do.”
The adviser to the Prime Minister said, “We hope it does not go in that direction. Neighbouring countries should maintain regional stability. We want dialogue with our neighbours. Challenges will remain. Sheikh Hasina, whom he referred to as a ‘terrorist’, killed 1,500 people and fled there. She is now in a sovereign state in India. We have been assured by the Indian government that no space will be given to her to destabilize Bangladesh from there.”
Humaiun Kobir said, “We want to take bilateral relations forward. The leadership on both sides must have a forward-looking mindset. There are certainly many challenges. As long as dialogue remains open, there is scope for resolving issues. Some issues can be resolved quickly, while others will take time.”
He added, “Many campaign statements are made for electoral gain. But the role of a government in power is entirely different. We should allow some time. Campaign rhetoric and government statements are not the same. Our relations will primarily be with the central government. We can also see internal politics here.”
In response to a question on the Teesta issue, the Prime Minister’s adviser said, “In West Bengal, the BJP is now in power. Earlier, when the Trinamool Congress was in power at the state level alongside the central government, their opinion had to be taken into account, which created challenges for us. Now there is no Trinamool Congress in power. The same party is in power at both the centre and the state. We expect this to make things more positive and less challenging. Time will tell.”