- West Bengal to transfer land for India-Bangladesh border fencing.
- Bangladesh says it’s not intimidated by border fencing.
- Dhaka urges India to adopt a humane border approach.
- India links border discussion to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
The newly formed BJP government in West Bengal has triggered a diplomatic and political debate after announcing the transfer of land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for fencing the India-Bangladesh border.
At the first cabinet meeting after taking oath as chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari said his government had decided to hand over land to the BSF to facilitate fencing work along the Bangladesh frontier.
The announcement drew a sharp response from Bangladesh, with Humaiun Kobir, foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, asserting that “Dhaka cannot be intimidated with barbed wire”.
Bangladesh Says It Is ‘Not Afraid’
Responding to the West Bengal government’s move, Humaiun Kobir said people in Bangladesh were not fearful of border fencing measures.
“People of Bangladesh are not afraid of barbed wire… The government of Bangladesh is also not afraid; where we need to talk, we will talk,” he said.
He also suggested that election rhetoric and governance were different matters, saying Bangladesh wanted to observe whether the Adhikari government would translate campaign language into actual administrative policy.
Dhaka Calls for ‘Humane Approach’
Humaiun Kobir further said India should adopt a more “humane approach” while dealing with border-related disputes if it wished to strengthen people-to-people relations between the two countries.
At the same time, he clarified that Bangladesh did not want to interfere in India’s internal political affairs.
“We do not want to become involved in their internal politics,” he said, according to a report by The Times of India.
West Bengal shares a 2,216-km-long international border with Bangladesh, making border management a sensitive issue for both countries.
ALSO READ | BJP Flag On SUV, Political Links: Who Is Raj Singh Arrested In Suvendu Adhikari PA’s Murder Case?
Concerns Raised Over Alleged ‘Push Back’ Incidents
The Bangladesh adviser also reacted to concerns over alleged “push-back” incidents, a term often used to describe the forcible expulsion of undocumented individuals across borders.
Humaiun warned that Dhaka would not remain silent if such incidents escalated further.
“Bangladesh has its own plans and responses. I hope matters will not proceed in that direction,” he said.
His remarks came shortly after Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed expressed hope that people would not be “pushed” into Bangladesh following the BJP’s rise to power in West Bengal.
Border Guard Bangladesh Asked to Stay Alert
Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Salahuddin Ahmed said he hoped no such incidents would occur along the frontier.
At the same time, he confirmed that the Border Guard Bangladesh had been instructed to remain alert along the shared border with India.
The comments reflected growing concern within Bangladesh over border management and migration-related issues following the political change in West Bengal.
ALSO READ | Himanta Biswa Sarma Sworn In As Assam Chief Minister for Second Term After NDA’s Landslide Win
India Responds, Points to Illegal Immigration Issue
India later responded to the remarks made by Bangladeshi leaders, linking the discussion to the issue of undocumented Bangladeshi nationals living in India.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said comments from Bangladesh in recent days should be viewed in the context of the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
“We have seen comments of this nature being made in the last several days. These comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India. This obviously requires cooperation from Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said during a weekly press briefing.
