[🇧🇩] Indo-Bangla Relation: India's Regional Ambition, Geopolitical Reality, and Strategic Options For Bangladesh

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BJP leaders lodge protest with Bangladesh mission in Kolkata

Senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party Suvendu Adhikari from the Indian state of West Bengal submitted a protest note to the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kolkata on Monday, urging action against those who chanted anti-India slogans during recent student protests, according to Indian...

www.newagebd.net

BJP leaders lodge protest with Bangladesh mission in Kolkata
New Age Online 30 July, 2024, 05:52

Senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party Suvendu Adhikari from the Indian state of West Bengal submitted a protest note to the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kolkata on Monday, urging action against those who chanted anti-India slogans during recent student protests, according to Indian media outlet theweek.in.

Adhikari, who is the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, visited the Bangladesh deputy high commission with a group of BJP MLAs and met with Bangladeshi officials.

'We met with officials at the Bangladesh deputy high commission and appealed to them to take action against the people who chanted anti-India slogans. During the recent protests in Bangladesh, slogans were raised against India, and insults were hurled at Indian leaders and the Hindu religion,' Adhikari was quoted as saying.​

 

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New foreign affairs adviser told Indian envoy today that Bangladesh will expect her exact proportional share of Teesta water, and there will be no leeway on that issue.

 

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Indian businesses (which personally fund Modi's Hindutva activities) are set to lose big - now that Hasina (who actively encouraged Hindutva exploitation in Bangladesh) is out of the picture. What some of the reports below conveniently fail to mention, though, are that Bangladeshi exports to India are paltry ($2 Billion) against Indian exports to Bangladesh ($40 Billion plus, with Bangladeshi tourism and services counted in, medical or otherwise, to India). This unequal state of trade affairs has existed for over fifty years - with India benefitting immensely (mainly Indian states surrounding Bangladesh, with WB at the forefront. India benefitted for fifty years by imposing this unequal trade on Bangladesh since 1971. They have been paid back more than ever for help in 1971 handsomely yet they keep reminding us at every opportunity about 1971.

Bangladesh crisis: Marico, Emami among Indian companies affected

The turmoil in Bangladesh has affected several Indian companies, especially those with significant operations or market presence in the country.

www.indiatoday.in

Bangladesh crisis: How trade with India could face major disruptions

Bangladesh is a major market for India's cotton exports and imports significant amounts of petroleum products and cereals from India.

www.indiatoday.in

 

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Outbound tourism to India slows to a crawl

Political unrest in Bangladesh since the start of July has been severely affecting India’s inbound tourism industry, according to local outbound tour operators.

www.thedailystar.net

Outbound tourism to India slows to a crawl

Bangladeshi travellers account for nearly a fourth of India’s inbound tourists, according to a report by The Economic Times of India. Photo: collected/file
Political unrest in Bangladesh since the start of July has been severely affecting India's inbound tourism industry, according to local outbound tour operators.

They said the business started being gradually affected since July 1, when the nationwide student movement demanding reforms to the quota system for government jobs took hold.

As time went on, the business situation only worsened, they said, adding that their business hit rock bottom after Sheikh Hasina handed in her resignation as prime minister and fled the country on August 5.

At present, the situation remains dire. According to local outbound operators, the number of visitors travelling from Bangladesh to India has dropped by more than 90 percent.

Bangladeshi travellers account for nearly a fourth of India's inbound tourists, according to a report by The Economic Times of India. These tourists primarily come for medical tourism or for shopping, particularly during Durga Puja and the wedding season, the report mentioned.

Operators said the situation worsened after Hasina's departure as it led to temporary flight disruptions and a suspension of most visas, except for medical visas.

Although flights have now resumed, an official from an airline that operates flights to Dhaka noted that the passenger load for these trips decreased by over 50 percent, the report added.

Sabbir Ahmed, managing director of Cosmos Holiday, a local outbound tour operator, told The Daily Star that only medical and student visa services are currently available for India.

However, a few days ago, one of his clients was even refused a medical visa, he said.

"On an average 500 people normally go to India through our company each month. Not even three people have gone through our company in the past month," Ahmed lamented.

As a result, most such businesses are now being run through loans. Ahmed said he has taken loans amounting to Tk 60 lakh in the past two months.

Taslim Amin Shovon, chief executive officer of InnoGlobe Travel and Tours, another local tour operator, said the number of tourists that are visiting India has fallen by over 98 percent.

"Only those who urgently need to go to India are still travelling," he said, adding that many had shelved plans to visit the neighbouring country, he said.

India is a key destination for Bangladeshi travellers, accounting for around 40 to 45 percent of all outbound trips, according to the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB).

A majority visit for medical treatment (over 80 percent) while shopping (15 percent) and leisure (5 percent) are secondary reasons.

Kolkata is a favoured shopping hub while Sikkim, Goa, Kashmir, Darjeeling, Gujarat, Bengaluru, Chennai Delhi, Hyderabad and Northeast India also attract visitors.

Tourist arrivals in India surged by 43.5 percent in 2023, but the figures remain 15.5 percent below pre-pandemic levels, according to the Economic Times of India report.

The country saw 9.23 million visitors last year, bringing in the equivalent to over INR 24 crore in foreign exchange.

Among them, tourists from Bangladesh accounted for more than 22.5 percent, representing the largest percentage from any single nation, the report said.

Debjit Dutta, chairman of the Indian Association of Tour Operators West Bengal Chapter, said travel operators, hotels, and guesthouses near hospitals in West Bengal have experienced a 90 percent drop in business.

A director of the TOAB said: "The prevailing situation has had a huge impact on outbound tour operators, which is why many are having to running their businesses by availing loans."

"If I calculate conservatively, more than 5,000 Indian visas are issued to Bangladeshis per day. If each person spends around Tk 50,000 in India, that means India is losing out on Tk 750 crore per month."​

 

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India is now worried by 'investing' more in Hasina, giving less importance to Bangladesh The fall of Sheikh Hasina has had a definite negative impact on India-Bangladesh relations.

 

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[H3]Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain On Bangladesh Unrest & Indo-Bangladesh Relationship[/H3]

 

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‘বাংলাদেশকে ‘ক্লায়েন্ট স্টেট’ বানিয়ে রাখতে চায় ভারত’

 

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Revoke all ‘unjust’ deals with India

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday demanded the cancellation of what he described as “secret” and “unequal” agreements signed with India over the past 15 years under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.

www.thedailystar.net

Revoke all ‘unjust’ deals with India
Says Ruhul Kabir Rizvi

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday demanded the cancellation of what he described as "secret" and "unequal" agreements signed with India over the past 15 years under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.

"I urge the interim government to revoke all the secret and unjust deals signed by Sheikh Hasina with India by compromising Bangladesh's independence and sovereignty," Rizvi said.

Rizvi made the demand while speaking at a programme in the capital's Kafrul area.

He questioned why India ignored the oppression Sheikh Hasina has inflicted upon the people of Bangladesh over the past 15 years.

"Don't they (India) know about the farcical elections orchestrated by Sheikh Hasina in 2014, 2018, and 2024? Despite this, why does India continue to show such love for her?" the BNP leader asked.

Rizvi criticised India for allegedly neglecting Bangladesh's sovereignty and the will of its people.

He accused India of supporting Sheikh Hasina who buried Bangladesh's democracy.

"India supports Sheikh Hasina, not Bangladesh and its people," he said.

Rizvi claimed that Sheikh Hasina has demonstrated a lack of humanity by subjecting opposition leaders and activists to brutal torture.

He said students demanded Sheikh Hasina's resignation, but she fled the country killing many people, including children and adolescents.

Rizvi said their party does not want to pursue Awami League's culture of repression, vengeance, plundering and grabbing.

"Those who believe in the politics of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman must work to ensure the peace and discipline in society."​