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News India Live, Digital Desk: Opposition parties amid turmoil in Bangladesh politics Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Has made his stand clear. If Tariq Rahman What will be the direction of relations with India if BNP returns to power under the leadership of? The party’s latest election manifesto has sparked a huge discussion not only in Dhaka but also in the strategic corridors of Delhi.
BNP’s new ‘game plan’ on relations with India
Historically, BNP has been considered a party with a ‘tough’ stance towards India, but this time the tone seems to have changed a bit. The manifesto talks about ‘mutual respect’ and ‘equality’.
3 big things of BNP’s manifesto:
Sovereignty Paramount: The party says that relations with India will be strengthened, but any interference in the internal affairs of Bangladesh will not be tolerated.
Teesta water dispute: long pending Teesta River Water Dispute But BNP has taken a tough stance and said it is its priority.
Connectivity and Transit: There have been indications of re-thinking of transit facilities for trade, which is a very sensitive issue for the North-Eastern states of India.
Tariq Rehman’s role and challenges
Tariq Rehman, living in exile in London, is the ‘power centre’ of BNP. Under his leadership, the party wants to send the message that it will change its old image and adopt a modern and balanced foreign policy. However, a matter of concern for India has been the BNP’s past closeness to fundamentalist parties (such as Jamaat-e-Islami).
Will difficulties increase for Delhi?
India has always supported ‘stability’ in Bangladesh. India-Bangladesh relations were described as the ‘Golden Age’ during the Sheikh Hasina government. In such a situation, the sound of change of power has raised many questions:
Will the cooperation against terrorism in the North-East continue?
Will Bangladesh support India in countering China?
Will border infiltration and smuggling be controlled?
expert opinion
Foreign Policy experts believe that it will be impossible for Tariq Rehman to ignore India after coming to power. Economic dependence and geographical location are such that both the countries need each other. The BNP manifesto is an attempt to create a ‘diplomatic balance’.
