In his bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC (Organisation for Technical and Economic Cooperation among the Rim Countries of the Bay of Bengal) Summit in the Thai capital, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has made it clear to the Head of Government of Bangladesh, Mohammad Yunus, to refrain from making statements that vitiate the atmosphere in the region. During his recent visit to China, Mr. Yunus had said in Beijing that China could expand its economy to Bangladesh as all the North Eastern States of India are connected only by land and Bangladesh is the foremost custodian of the region's maritime boundaries. Mr. Yunus's statement had caused a lot of concern in India as it smacks of economic expansionism and gives the impression that Bangladesh is surrendering economically to China. It is to be noted that Mr. Yunus is not the elected leader of Bangladesh but a ruler temporarily placed at the pinnacle of power by the Bangladesh military.
His remarks about India's North Eastern States by going to China were also considered contrary to the regional balance, but Mr. Modi has drawn their attention to it with great diplomatic decency and warned that the way the Hindu minority is being attacked within Bangladesh should be stopped and his government should take effective steps in this direction. Mr Modi's remarks came in the context of a series of events that have taken place in Bangladesh in the last 10 months. The whole world knows that India played a decisive role in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. This country came into existence only when Indian forces surrendered to the Pakistani forces in Dhaka. Since then, there has been a unique brotherhood between the people of the two countries. Shri Modi also emphasized on this fact and made it clear that the brotherhood between the people of Bangladesh and India should be given priority in the relations between the two countries. Anyway, it has been a major part of India's foreign policy that the governance system of any country should be run according to the wishes of the people there.
On the other hand, Mr. Yunus raised the issue of deportation of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Mrs. Sheikh Hasina Wazed. It is well known that on August 5, 2024, the creators of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, fled to India after the military overthrow of her elected government and has been taking refuge in India since then. India cannot bring them back unless a Government elected in Bangladesh as per the wishes of the people is established and the people express their preference in elections as per the rule of democracy. India has been the second home for Sheikh Hasina from the very beginning and even her higher education has also taken place in this country. At the same time, the way Islamic fundamentalist Pak elements have become active after Mohammad Yunus became the head of the government in Bangladesh, it has also affected the mutual brotherhood of the people of this country and these elements are adding fuel to the fire in creating an anti-India atmosphere, due to which atrocities on minorities have increased there. Therefore, Mr. Modi is legitimate to worry about this.
Bangladesh needs to understand that since its inception in 1971, India has helped Bangladesh in every field and increased cooperation on the economic and social front. No temporary government can spoil this cooperation. At the same time, it is important to understand that BIMSTEC is not only an organization with membership of India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Thailand, but also an undertaking of mutual technical and economic cooperation between the entire region to guarantee the security of this entire region. Obviously, India is the largest country in this organization, so its responsibility is also big. India understands this responsibility very well, that is why Shri Modi has put forward a 20-point program in its conference so that all member countries can progress economically and strengthen brotherhood among their people. BIMSTEC acts as a bridge between the South and South East Asian countries for the all-round development and security of the people of the region. If these countries trade in mutual currency and cooperate in each other's development, their security takes on a much wider dimension.
Apart from Yunus, Mr Modi also held bilateral talks with Nepalese Prime Minister Oli and expressed his desire to further deepen relations between the two countries. He also held talks with Myanmar's military ruler Mil Aung Hlaing and called for credible elections in Myanmar. It is obvious that India is playing the role of a country in BIMSTEC which can play a decisive role in the development of this entire region because its economy is the largest among all these countries and it is also technically competent. Therefore, BIMSTEC countries will continue to get India's cooperation in every field. The summit was followed by a day-long visit to Sri Lanka, which shows how India accords priority to its neighbours.