India has registered a strong protest against the provocative Facebook post uploaded by Mahfuz Alam, the adviser in the interim Bangladesh government led by Muhammad Yunus. India was taken aback by a post that suggested Bangladesh should annex parts of India due to policies “aimed at containing and ghettoizing Bangladesh.” The contentious post was deleted after massive backlash.
He related the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 as a result of the coup to attempts to reduce Bangladesh’s dependence on India. Alam was speaking on December 16, Victory Day, celebrating Bangladesh’s victory in the 1971 Liberation War.
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The post wrongly accused India of pursuing policies to “contain” and “ghettoize” Bangladesh, thus creating diplomatic tensions. Alam’s role and statements underlined the complexities of his political influence that crossed national boundaries into sensitive international relations.
The Indian MEA was prompt in reaction, with its spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have registered our strong protest on this issue with the Bangladesh side. We understand that the post being referred to has reportedly been taken down. We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments. While India has repeatedly signaled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation.”
