[🇧🇩] India Out Campaign in Bangladesh

Source: https://www.PKDefense.com

 

[Saif]

Rizvi favours ‘India Out’ campaign

Throwing his Indian shawl away, the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party senior joint secretary general, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi...

www.newagebd.net

Rizvi favours ‘India Out’ campaign
BNP says Rizvi’s opinion personal, allies caught off-guard
Staff Correspondent | Published: 23:55, Mar 20,2024

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi throws his Indian shawl away to express solidarity with the campaign for boycotting Indian products in front of the party’s Naya Paltan central office on Wednesday. — New Age photo

Throwing his Indian shawl away, the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party senior joint secretary general, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, expressed solidarity with the social media campaign for boycotting Indian products on Wednesday.

Rizvi did this in front of the party’s Naya Paltan central office following a press conference where he said, ‘Social media is buzzing with the boycott India campaign. There is public opinion against the import of Indian products. The wave of boycotts of Indian products is visible. Therefore, as a party representing the people, BNP and 63 democratic parties and patriotic citizens of the nation are expressing solidarity with the boycott of Indian products.’

A BNP standing committee member and several leaders of the BNP allies confirmed to New Age that no such policy decision had been made yet in this regard.

‘We held a meeting of the party’s standing committee on Monday. We did not take any decision to boycott any nation or the products of any particular nation,’ BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy told New Age.

He said that Rizvi’s announcement may be personal.

When asked about the matter, Rizvi told New Age, ‘This announcement is mine as well as my party’s. We are not making all statements through meetings. There are some political issues also.’

Ganatantra Mancha, a coalition of six political parties, and a major partner of BNP in the ongoing democratic movement against the ruling Awami League, also said that they were not aware of Rizvi’s announcement.

Ganatantra Mancha leader and Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Huq told New Age that no such decision had yet been taken in any policymaking forum or liaison committee.

He, however, said that the Mancha considered the social media campaign to boycott Indian products symbolic, as the incumbent ruler of India backed the AL in the past three elections, ignoring the sentiments of the democracy-loving people of Bangladesh.

Social Democratic Party convener Abul Kalam Azad, a leader of the four-party combine Democratic Left Unity, told New Age that there was no such decision by the alliance or parties engaged in the ongoing simultaneous movement.

At the press conference, Rizvi claimed that AL did not seek the mandate of the Bangladeshi people but was ‘clinging to power through the backing of the Modi [Indian prime minister Narendra Modi] government and entering into bonds of subjugation.’

He further accused the AL of perceiving Bangladesh as a ‘dummy state,’ alleging that the real power behind the AL was not the people of Bangladesh but India.

By supporting the Awami League, India is exercising control over Bangladesh, infringing upon the rights of its citizens, he added.

‘It is believed that India dictates the appointment of crucial positions like the chief of Bangladesh Police and BGB, undermining our sovereignty,’ he said.

Rizvi also pointed to statements made by Indian foreign ministry officials expressing support for the Awami League ahead of the January 7 national election.

‘The notion of our sovereignty is being compromised under the guise of stability under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership,’ he stated.

Rizvi also said the ‘India out’ campaign is gaining momentum in Bangladesh, saying that it is people’s protest against the country’s influence.​

 

[Amata]

‘India Out’ campaigns simmer in Bangladesh amid election fallout

Calls to boycott Indian goods in Bangladesh follow allegations of Indian interference in national elections.

www.aljazeera.com

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‘India Out’ campaigns simmer in Bangladesh amid election fallout​

Calls to boycott Indian goods in Bangladesh follow allegations of Indian interference in national elections.

View attachment 3243

Grocery stores have been unable to sell Indian-made chips [Al Jazeera]
By Faisal Mahmud
Published On 7 Feb 20247 Feb 2024


Dhaka, Bangladesh – Amid allegations of Indian interference in national elections, there’s a call to boycott Indian goods in Bangladesh.

Last week, a supplier for the Indian consumer goods giant Marico faced a chilly reception in Dhaka’s Panthapath area. Grocery shops, usually eager to stock their shelves with its hair oil, cooking oil, body lotion and other products, refused to take new deliveries.

“Sales of Parachute oil, a Marico bestseller, have plummeted to almost zero in recent weeks,” local shopkeeper Aman Ullah said. “Indian products just aren’t moving. We’re stuck with unsold stock and won’t be restocking.”

Another shop owner who requested anonymity revealed a deeper reason: “I don’t want to sell Indian products any more.” He cited YouTube videos advocating a boycott of Indian goods, which he wholeheartedly supported.

Simmering anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh has boiled over in the past decade, culminating in public displays such as celebrations in Dhaka last year after India’s loss in the Cricket World Cup final.

But after last month’s elections in Bangladesh, in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secured a fourth term while the opposition boycotted the polls, a massive “India Out” campaign was launched, alleging Indian interference in Bangladesh politics.

The Bangladeshi diaspora and opposition groups have fuelled this anti-India movement and advocated boycotts of Indian products. This movement mirrors similar campaigns in the Maldives, where Mohamed Muizzu capitalized on anti-India sentiment to win the presidential election.

In Dhaka, the campaign was launched against the backdrop of India’s traditionally strong ties with Hasina’s government and its strained relationship with the opposition, leading many to believe India favoured the status quo.

Exiled Bangladeshi physician Pinaki Bhattacharya, who fled alleged government harassment in 2018, has emerged as the key figure in this burgeoning social media movement accusing India of interfering in Bangladesh’s recent elections to keep Hasina in power.

Through his more than two million followers across social media platforms, Bhattacharya launched the #BoycottIndia campaign in mid-January, urging them to join “this monumental endeavour”. His call, emphasizing love of homeland and determination to break free from perceived shackles, resonated with thousands.

The anti-India movement has surged online, fuelled by user-generated content. Photos of crossed-out Indian products like Amul butter and Dabur honey are circulating alongside barcode identification tips to boycott these goods. A single post highlighting the 890 prefix used in barcodes for Indian products garnered more than 1,000 shares, showcasing the movement’s online reach.
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Why did the campaign gain traction?​

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka declined Al Jazeera’s request for a comment on this anti-India campaign.

At a Mumbai forum on January 30 with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, attendees raised concerns about India’s foreign policy amid perceived shifts in regional dynamics, particularly the growing pull of major rival China on neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and the Maldives.

Jaishankar downplayed concerns about foreign policy shortcomings but conceded the competitive reality. He pointed out that China’s geographical proximity naturally grants it influence over neighbouring countries like the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
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Screengrab from Facebook of online movements advocating boycott of Indian products

State Minister of Information and Broadcasting and lawmaker from the ruling Awami League Mohammad A Arafat, too, dismissed the concerns saying Bangladesh had received global attention because of the unprecedented fact of a fourth term for the ruling government.

“If I have to talk about other country’s interest in our local politics, then the first name I would mention is the United States which even declared a Visa restriction policy based on Bangladesh election. On the other hand, India, from the very onset officially stated that Bangladesh’s election is its internal matter and it has no say in it,” Arafat said.

Obaidul Quader, general secretary of Awami League told Al Jazeera that the “India out” campaign is run by opposition parties who instead of taking part in the election blaming “India for their misfortune.”

“They [the opposition parties] have this trump card of bashing India if anything goes against them,” said Quader, “I don’t think common people of Bangladesh support this campaign. They know that Awami League will never work against the interest of people.”

The burgeoning anti-India campaign, meanwhile, is finding traction within Bangladesh’s domestic political landscape, raising concerns about potentially destabilising Bangladesh’s economy and impacting regional relations.

Gono Odhikar Parishad, a rising political force aligned with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led opposition, is promoting the boycott movement. Party leader Nurul Haque Nur declared at a recent rally in Dhaka that “We all have to start an ‘India Out’ campaign'” while alleging Indian interference in the recent elections.

Rumeen Farhana, international affairs secretary of the BNP, told Al Jazeera that the people of Bangladesh never liked India’s interference in Bangladesh politics. “It’s now crystal clear that India did everything possible to keep the regime in power since 2014,” she alleged.

Resentment against India reached a boiling point in Bangladesh after Hasina’s Awami League secured a resounding victory in the January 7 elections, capturing 223 seats out of 300 in parliament. Critics alleged the process lacked legitimacy due to the opposition’s boycott and the presence of numerous Awami League-backed independent candidates, raising questions about the fairness of the vote.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered swift congratulations to both Hasina and “the people of Bangladesh for the successful conduct of elections”, endorsing the outcome. In contrast, Western governments expressed reservations, highlighting the boycott and the lack of a strong opposition presence.
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Facebook Screengrab of calls for a boycott of Indian products in favour of Bangladeshi products

Farhana said anti-India public sentiment in Bangladesh goes beyond politics. “The border killing, unresolved water sharing of 53 rivers including Teesta, trade deficit all play roles to that,” she said.

Around 1,276 Bangladeshis have been killed and 1,183 injured by India’s border forces since 2010, according to human rights organisation Odhikar. Then there are the decades-old unresolved water-sharing agreements for 53 transboundary rivers in addition to Bangladesh’s massive trade deficit with India, all of which have raised concerns about Bangladesh’s sovereignty and economic independence.

Ali Riaz, distinguished professor of politics and government at Illinois State University, told Al Jazeera that India’s unqualified support of the Awami League and Hasina during the 2024 elections has raised questions among many citizens about “whether it has compromised the country’s sovereignty”.

However, Sreeradha Datta, a professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs in Sonepat, India, refuted the claims of India’s “unqualified support” and said the Awami League was “creative in going past the polls even if India [had] not agree[d] to recognise the election”.

“China and so many others congratulated PM Hasina right after the election, so would that make any difference if India didn’t support it?” she asked.
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The economic fallout​

Analysts, meanwhile, pointed out that boycotting Indian goods could have major repercussions for the economic relationship between the two countries.

India is a major exporter to Bangladesh with annual trade historically exceeding $12bn. Additionally, Bangladesh relies heavily on India for essential commodities, and the two governments are currently in talks on an annual quota of imports of Indian farm products.

Calling the anti-India campaign a “political stunt”, Munshi Faiz Ahmed, former chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, a state-funded think tank, told Al Jazeera that the economic fallout of boycotting Indian products will be more severe for Bangladesh.

“I don’t think any rational Bangladeshi would opt for taking part in this campaign. India is our neighbouring country, and we are heavily dependent on them for our everyday essentials like rice and onions. We are dependent because we get those products at the cheapest prices because of geographical proximity,” Ahmed said, adding that sourcing those products from somewhere else would cost much more.

Jyoti Rahman, an Australia-based economist told Al Jazeera that the “India Out” movement may be politically important to the extent that “it sends a strong message to the Indian policymakers” about growing discontent in Bangladesh but the “economic effects are less clear cut”.

Rahman pointed out that despite being India’s fourth largest export destination, Bangladesh still comprises about 3.5 percent of the Indian export market. “Even if all exports to Bangladesh stopped, it probably wouldn’t significantly affect the Indian economy as these products would find a market elsewhere,” Rahman said.

On the other hand, he said, a fifth of Bangladeshi imports are from India, including essentials such as cotton for the garment manufacturing sector, cereals and produce such as onions. “[Looking at] other sources of imports for these products could stoke inflation further,” Rahman said.

However, he highlighted the potential political effectiveness of boycotting non-essential items like tourism, cultural imports like Bollywood movies and consumer products, which he said could benefit domestic industries.

The overwhelming dependence of Bangladesh on India also means that “Indian businesses are vulnerable if such a movement gains traction and support”, Riaz said.

Even if the economic impacts are limited or not immediate, the boycotts will contribute to the public discourse on the role of India in Bangladeshi politics and highlight the unequal relationship, he said. “This is no less important.”

Additional reporting by Abu Jakir​

Why

 

[Saif]

Why

Interference by India in our election process has irked us so much that we have called to boycott Indian products in the country. Also India creates non-tariff barriers to frustrate Bangladeshi products from its market to create trade imbalance which are having negative impact on our economy.

 

[Saif]

AL, BNP debate over boycott of Indian products

Ruling Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is involved in a serious conspiracy to destabilise the market...

www.newagebd.net

AL, BNP debate over boycott of Indian products
Staff Correspondent | Published: 00:36, Mar 23,2024

Ruling Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is involved in a serious conspiracy to destabilise the market system in the name of boycotting Indian products.

However, the people of the country will not respond to their call, he said, according to a report of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.


Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, came up with the remarks while addressing a press conference at the AL president’s Dhanmondi political office in Dhaka on Friday.

He said that BNP’s plot to destroy relations with India is the manifestation of the mental weakness of the leaders of that party.

Their call for boycotting Indian goods will not affect the relations prevailing between the two countries. The country’s people will boycott those who have called for the boycott of Indian products, he said.

The AL general secretary said that when a party becomes radicalised it also becomes bankrupt and only for them it is possible to talk about boycotting its neighbouring country by violating diplomatic norms.

‘The majority of our essential products come from India. The cost of imports from distant countries is high. So, the plot to destroy our relations with India is the manifestation of BNP’s mental disorder. They are paying a lot for not joining the last general elections,’ he said.

Quader also said that while a senior BNP leader is seeking the cooperation of a friendly neighbour to save Bangladesh’s democracy, a junior leader of BNP is calling on to boycott Indian products.

‘In fact, the BNP’s politics is chaotic and messy. Now they do not understand whom they want to please. Which way will BNP actually go? They are now pathless like the wanderers and their words are baffling,’ he said.

Quader said communal politics has been going on in the name of opposing India since the Pakistan era, while today’s call for boycotting Indian goods is an integral part of that.

Meanwhile, BNP chairperson’s advisory council member, Zainul Abdin Farroque, said on Friday that the January 7 general election of Bangladesh was undemocratic and unacceptable to the people who expected proper support from India.

‘We can see that there is a boycott of Indian products by the people of Bangladesh through various social media campaigns due to the anti-people stance of India in the election,’ he said.

He came up with the remarks while talking to journalists after paying tribute to BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital, marking the 37th founding anniversary of Zia Parishad, a pro-BNP organisation.

Farroque said, ‘Our party spokesperson, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, said that we have expressed our solidarity with the programme of boycott of Indian products. Even today, on the 37th founding day of the Zia Parishad, we express our solidarity with this programme.’

‘AL general secretary talks a lot at times. We don’t want to answer his words because cases are filed when we reply him,’ he added.

Earlier on Wednesday at a press conference at the BNP central office in Naya Paltan, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi threw away his Indian shawl to express the party’s support for the boycott of Indian products.

In an Iftar programme arranged by the Jatiotabadi Nobin Dol at a restaurant in the capital’s Segunbagicha, he also said that if the democratic government of India supports the undemocratic and unelected government of Bangladesh, then how will the people of Bangladesh accept Indian products? So the boycott is a must,’ he added.
​

 

[Saif]

AL, BNP at loggerheads over Indian products boycott

The ruling Awami League and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party are making counter statements over the recent social media campaign to boycott Indian products...

www.newagebd.net

AL, BNP at loggerheads over Indian products boycott
Ahammad Foyez | Published: 00:27, Mar 24,2024

The ruling Awami League and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party are making counter statements over the recent social media campaign to boycott Indian products that was initiated through a group of social media influencers following the January 7 general election in Bangladesh.

Both political camps became active over the issue recently after a BNP leader formally extended solidarity with the camping as the opposition thinks people’s views were not reflected in the parliamentary polls due to Indian support to the ruling Awami League.

At the latest, on Saturday at least three AL leaders and ministers commented on the issue, while the opposition also made statements in separate programmes.

While inaugurating the iftar and Eid gifts distribution ceremony of the Dhaka district unit Awami League in Tejgaon, party general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader said that India and other friendly countries stood by to prevent domestic and foreign conspiracies from foiling the 12th parliamentary polls held on January 7 amid boycotts by most oppositions, including the BNP.

‘Any foreign countries, including India, did not bring the Awami League to power. Rather, it stood to resist the conspiracies to foil the vote,’ Quader said.

‘I have been hearing the propaganda from the Pakistan era. When there are no political issues, only one issue is raised against the Awami League. Earlier it was brought against Bangabandhu and now it is brought against Sheikh Hasina, that is the issue of anti-India,’ he added.

‘What does India have here? The people of Bangladesh voted and elected Sheikh Hasina,’ he said, adding that more than 41 per cent of votes were in the elections, even in many developed countries these many votes are not cast.

‘Still they [opposition] are saying that India had us elected,’ Quader said.

He also commented that the statements of BNP senior leaders are not on the same footing regarding the call for boycotting India.

‘BNP is a strange party. Its one leader saying that India has helped us to win independence, while another leader is calling for boycotting Indian products,’ he added.

Quader said that the BNP is a party solely focused on power and the development of its own pockets, but not a party of ordinary people just contrary to the AL which is a people’s party.

On the day, while talking to journalists after joining a coordination meeting on the implementation of the government development activities in Chattogram district at the Circuit House, foreign minister and AL joint secretary Hasan Mahmud said that the main aim of the BNP is to destabilise the country’s essential commodity market and increase the prices of goods by the call of boycott.

He said that many consumer products in Bangladesh come from India and this type of call will only increase the sufferings of the people and hike the prices of goods.

‘We have thousands of kilometres of border with India and some border trade is also done legally. You will eat onion from India, your leader will wear sarees from India, your leader who shouts in the field will also wear Indian sarees, you will eat seheri, iftar with beef from India,’ he added.

Besides, while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organised by the Chhatra League on the day, Awami League presidium member and textile and jute minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak said that the divided BNP is now opposing India to create hypes around cheap issues.

‘The BNP is talking about boycotting Indian products to create cheap issues when it is isolated from the people,’ he added.

On the other hand, BNP vice chairman Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Saturday said that Bangladesh became independent not for becoming subservient to Delhi.

‘Did we fight this war [liberation war] to be subservient to Delhi? Never! The freedom-loving people of Bangladesh will never accept such slavery,’ he added.

He made these comments in his chief guest’s speech at a discussion meeting organised by the Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in Dhaka.

Earlier on the day, the top leaders of the 12-party alliance, a political alliance waging anti-government simultaneous movement to restore democracy, paid a courtesy call on BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi for expressing solidarity with the anti-Indian aggression and Indian product boycott movement.

The leaders handed over T-shirts carrying slogans to boycott Indian products.to Rizvi.

Spokesperson of 12 party alliance Shahadat Hossain Selim, its coordinator Syed Ehsanul Huda, Jatiya Party faction secretary general Ahsan Habib Lincoln, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh secretary general Mohiuddin Ekram, Jatiya Ganotantrik Party senior vice president Rashed Pradhan, Labor Party chairman Faruk Rahman, and Bangladesh Kalyan Party faction acting chairman Samsuddin Parvez were present during the meeting.

After the January 7 general election, Obaidul Quader on January 28 made the first statement about India’s support in the election process.

After holding a meeting with Indian high commissioner Pranay Verma, Quader told reporters that India stood by Bangladesh’s election process when the opposition tried to foil the polling.

At the meeting, Quader assured that the country’s relationship with India will stay on course and new projects in connectivity are under way.

‘Some opposition in this country wanted to destabilise us here by colluding with some foreign countries, while India stood by us when they wanted to foil the election,’ Quader said at the media briefing on the day.

‘We have to admit that. Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi have broken the wall of doubt and mistrust in the friendly relations between the two countries,’ he said.

Before the January 7 election, addressing a rally in Dhaka on October 3 last year, Quader claimed that India had facilitated an underhand negotiation between the United States and the Bangladesh government over visa restrictions on Bangladeshis and possible sanctions on the country.

‘Where are visa restrictions? Where are the sanctions? Everything has now been compromised through underhand negotiations….Delhi is there, and America needs Delhi. We [AL] are with Delhi and it is also with us. We have no enmity with anyone, and all are our friends,’ he added.​