Diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh escalated on Wednesday after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed allegations by Dhaka that members of the Awami League, banned in Bangladesh, were using Indian soil to carry out anti-Bangladesh activities.
Responding to a statement issued by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The Government of India is not aware of any anti-Bangladesh activities by purported members of the Awami League in India or of any action that is contrary to Indian law. The Government does not allow political activities against other countries to be carried out from Indian soil. The Press Statement by the Interim Government of Bangladesh is thus misplaced.”
Jaiswal further reiterated India’s position, stressing New Delhi’s expectation that “free, fair and inclusive elections will be held at the earliest in Bangladesh to ascertain the will and mandate of the people.”
Bangladesh, however, claimed that offices of the banned Awami League had been set up in Delhi and Kolkata, alleging that its leaders were operating from Indian territory and engaging in “growing anti-Bangladesh activities.” The interim government specifically cited a July 21 event at the Delhi Press Club, where senior Awami League leaders, under the cover of an NGO, allegedly distributed booklets to members of the press.
Also read: Awami League denies reports of Kolkata office
Without providing evidence, the statement also accused several absconding Awami League leaders, facing criminal cases in Bangladesh, of residing in India. “Any form of political activity campaigning against the interests of Bangladesh by Bangladeshi nationals, particularly by the absconding leaders/activists of a banned political party, staying on Indian soil, legally or illegally, including the establishment of offices is an unambiguous affront against the people and State of Bangladesh,” the interim government said.
The statement added that such developments could harm traditionally close ties between the two neighbours, noting that they “risk upholding the good-neighbourly relations with India driven by mutual trust and mutual respect, and lend serious implications for the political transformation underway in Bangladesh.”
Concluding its note, the Bangladesh government urged New Delhi to act. “The Government of Bangladesh, therefore, would urge upon the Government of India to take immediate steps to ensure that no anti-Bangladesh activity is undertaken by any Bangladeshi national from being in the Indian soil,” the statement read.
The exchange marks another strain in bilateral relations, which have come under increasing pressure in recent months.
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