Rajnath Singh’s remarks on Bangladesh are a matter of concern

Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh, maintaining that India is a peace-loving country, called upon the armed to be prepared to tackle future wars. Rajnath Singh chaired the inaugural Joint Commanders’ Conference (JCC) in the Indian city of Lucknow on 5 September, where made reference to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts and the current situation in Bangladesh, and exhorted the commanders to analyse these episodes, predict the problems that the country may face in the future, and stay prepared to deal with the “unexpected”.

Indian defence ministry issued a statement on Rajnath Singh’s remarks, which was later published by the Press Bureau of India. Security analysts from Bangladesh, however, think the Indian defence ministry should not have made such remarks.

Diplomats and foreign analysts said India became worried following the toppling of the Sheikh Hasina government by the student-people uprising. India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership openly extended its support to the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government. As a result, the changed situation in Bangladesh worries them.

Sreeradha Datta, a professor at OP Jindal Global University, India, told Prothom Alo that India had been enjoying all-out cooperation from the the Awami League government under Sheikh Hasina's leadership over the past 15 years, alleviating its security concerns. Now, India wants similar cooperation from the interim government of Bangladesh. At the same time, there is no way to compare the Russia-Ukraine war or the Israel-Hamas conflict with the changed situation in neighbouring Bangladesh, she added.

At the conference, the Indian defence minister had stressed the significance of evolving joint military vision and preparing for the type of challenges India may face in future wars while emphasising synergised, swift and proportionate responses to provocations. He also emphasised the need for a broader and deeper analysis by the top military leadership in view of the situation along the northern border and the happenings in neighbouring countries, which are posing a challenge to peace and stability in the region.

C Raja Mohan, a distinguished fellow at the Indian research organisation Asia Society Policy Institute, told Prothom Alo from Delhi over mobile phone that he does not think Bangladesh has any reason for concern over the remarks of Rajnath Singh.

However, M Humayun Kabir, president of Dhaka-based Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), told Prothom Alo, “We expect sensitivity from our close neighbour India in the current situation of Bangladesh. No such comments and remarks should come from the Indian leadership that will have a negative impact on the bilateral relations.”

The Bangladesh-India relationship witnessed ups and downs after Sheikh Hasina resigned and went to Delhi following the fall of her government on 5 August in the wake of a student-people movement. Foreign analysts think Delhi could not accept this change easily.

On 8 August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Professor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities as chief adviser of Bangladesh's interim government. Both leaders had a phone conversation on 17 August and the issue of protection and security for Hindus came up.

The issue of minorities also came up in the phone conversation between US President Joe Biden and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on 26 August. India said both leaders discussed the situation in Bangladesh and stressed the need for early restoration of normalcy, and ensuring the safety and security of minorities, especially Hindus.

In the meantime, the Indian Border Security Force shot a teenage Bangladeshi girl, Swarna Das, along the Kulaura border of Moulvibazar on 1 September. The Bangladesh foreign ministry protested the killing. Lastly, Dr Yunus in an interview with Indian news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) spoke about various issues including extraditing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and placing her on trial, solving the Teesta water dispute and stopping border killings. Amid such circumstances, the Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh made the statement on Bangladesh.

President of the think-tank Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), Major General (retired) ANM Muniruzzaman, feels the reference that the Indian defence minister made to Bangladesh in his speech in such circumstances is a matter of concern and is not prudent.

“Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh compared the current situation of Bangladesh to the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflicts. That is why we have to remain alert. We must find the implicit meaning of Rajnath’s remarks. If necessary, we can even raise the questions at a diplomatic level to understand the reason behind such remarks,” he added.

* This report appeared in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna