Monday, 10 March, 2025
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed Delhi's openness to maintaining good neighbourly ties with Dhaka but stressed that Bangladesh must decide the nature of its relationship with India.
Speaking at the Delhi University Literature Fest on Saturday, Jaishankar was critical of the ongoing "anti-India rhetoric" from advisors of Bangladesh's interim government, which he described as "absolutely ridiculous", according to Indian news agency United News of India.
“We, with our neighbours, we wish them well. We have a long history with Bangladesh; it’s a very special history that goes back to 1971," Jaishankar is quoted as saying by UNI.
“Now things happened there last year, all of you are aware”, he said, referring to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Aug 5 and the formation of an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Jaishankar highlighted two key concerns for India regarding the current situation in Bangladesh, one of which is "the spate of attacks on minorities". Such incidents naturally influence India's stance, he explained. "It is something we have to speak up about, and we have done so.”
On the interim government's approach to relations with India, he said, “They have their politics, you can agree, you can disagree, but at the end of the day we are a neighbour. They have to make up their mind what kind of relationship they want with us."
“Because every day if somebody in Bangladesh, who is in this interim government which they have made up for themselves, if they stand up and blame India for everything, and some of the things if you see the reports, are ridiculous.
“You can’t on the one hand say, ‘oh I would like to have a good relationship with you’, but I get up every morning and I blame you for everything that goes on. It is a decision that they have to make, about what kind of relationship they want with us.”
Jaishankar emphasised that India has sent a "very clear signal" to Bangladesh about wanting stability and good relations.
"We would like things to calm down, we would like the trade, the contacts, the other things; but we would not like to see messaging and signalling which is continuously hostile in a way to India,” he said.
On Friday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also addressed the issue. In response to a question about the impact of anti-India statements by Bangladesh's interim government advisors, he said, "Yes, we have taken note of such remarks, which are, of course, not helpful. It is for the concerned individuals to reflect on the implications of their statements."
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Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed Delhi's openness to maintaining good neighbourly ties with Dhaka but stressed that Bangladesh must decide the nature of its relationship with India.
Speaking at the Delhi University Literature Fest on Saturday, Jaishankar was critical of the ongoing "anti-India rhetoric" from advisors of Bangladesh's interim government, which he described as "absolutely ridiculous", according to Indian news agency United News of India.
“We, with our neighbours, we wish them well. We have a long history with Bangladesh; it’s a very special history that goes back to 1971," Jaishankar is quoted as saying by UNI.
“Now things happened there last year, all of you are aware”, he said, referring to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Aug 5 and the formation of an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Jaishankar highlighted two key concerns for India regarding the current situation in Bangladesh, one of which is "the spate of attacks on minorities". Such incidents naturally influence India's stance, he explained. "It is something we have to speak up about, and we have done so.”
On the interim government's approach to relations with India, he said, “They have their politics, you can agree, you can disagree, but at the end of the day we are a neighbour. They have to make up their mind what kind of relationship they want with us."
“Because every day if somebody in Bangladesh, who is in this interim government which they have made up for themselves, if they stand up and blame India for everything, and some of the things if you see the reports, are ridiculous.
“You can’t on the one hand say, ‘oh I would like to have a good relationship with you’, but I get up every morning and I blame you for everything that goes on. It is a decision that they have to make, about what kind of relationship they want with us.”
Jaishankar emphasised that India has sent a "very clear signal" to Bangladesh about wanting stability and good relations.
"We would like things to calm down, we would like the trade, the contacts, the other things; but we would not like to see messaging and signalling which is continuously hostile in a way to India,” he said.
On Friday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also addressed the issue. In response to a question about the impact of anti-India statements by Bangladesh's interim government advisors, he said, "Yes, we have taken note of such remarks, which are, of course, not helpful. It is for the concerned individuals to reflect on the implications of their statements."
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