Jatiya Party denounces blaming India for Bangladesh floods; Calls for Hasina’s extradition
Dhaka (PTI): Jatiya Party chairman Ghulam Muhammed Quader has denounced those who blame India for the flood situation in Bangladesh as a “wrong narrative” that exploits existing anti-India sentiments to wrongly attribute responsibility on New Delhi for a natural calamity.
Quader, who was Leader of the Opposition in the last Bangladesh Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad), which was dissolved on August 6, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following deadly protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs, asserted that Hasina should be extradited from India and tried in a Bangladeshi court for all the crimes committed by her and her regime.
In an interview with PTI, the former Bangladeshi cabinet minister said that while people in both countries want good relations, it’s important to stop acting as if one country is the "supreme lord" and instead treat each other as equal partners.
Reflecting on the “India out” campaign in Bangladesh, Quader stated that the “animosity is not against India but against its policy of unquestionable support for one specific political party (Awami League) and its leader (Sheikh Hasina)” despite several allegations of misrule and ushering in a dictatorial regime in the country.
“Blaming India for floods in Bangladesh is not right. It is a wrong narrative. How can you blame someone for floods or any natural calamity? It is normal that water will flow down to lowland areas. The problem we face is less release of water from India. But during the rainy season, if water is not released, then the dams situated there could collapse and cause a calamity of much bigger magnitude,” the 76-year-old leader said.
"It would have been better if there was an early warning from India so that we had time to prepare," he said.
His remarks come in the backdrop of reports emerging from Dhaka blaming India for the floods in Bangladesh.
Monsoon rainfall-triggered floods in deltaic Bangladesh and upstream Indian regions have killed several people and marooned or affected nearly three million others in Bangladesh, posing a huge administrative challenge to the newly installed interim government amid a political transition.
India on Thursday described as factually incorrect reports in Bangladesh that the current flood situation in certain parts of the country has been caused by the opening of a dam on the Gumti River in Tripura.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi stated that floods in the shared rivers between the two countries are a "shared" problem affecting people on both sides and require close mutual cooperation to resolve.
“Those who don’t understand the situation and are using the present anti-India sentiments are trying to mislead people. Naturally, water will flow from higher elevations to lower elevations. If excess water is not released from dams, then the dams could collapse, leading to a bigger disaster,” Quader said.
Bangladesh is crisscrossed by more than 200 rivers, 54 of which are transboundary rivers with upper riparian India, across four major basins.
Replying to a query about the rise in anti-India sentiments despite India being a “time-tested friend of Bangladesh,” Quader said, “The anti-India sentiment is not against its people but against the policymakers.”
“The anger is not against Indian people per se; there are still people here who desire good people-to-people relations. But the problem is that India backed the Awami League so much despite all its flaws, misrule, lack of proper elections, and corruption, that the Indian establishment is now seen as a supporter of the Awami League, and that is why people are angry and view India as an enemy of Bangladesh,” he said.
“Sheikh Hasina’s decision to flee to India has worsened matters. I think Sheikh Hasina should be extradited to Bangladesh and tried here. India must hand her over to the Bangladeshi government,” he said.
Bangladesh’s interim government has revoked ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's diplomatic passport, along with those of all members of her former Cabinet.
Speaking about the future of India-Bangladesh bilateral ties, Quader said both countries need each other and must adopt a fresh and positive outlook following the fall of the Awami League government.
“The Awami League is the past; we must look forward. Both countries need to sit down and reassess ways to improve bilateral ties. However, in a relationship between two countries, both nations should be treated as equals, and any big-brotherly attitude should be avoided. No one should behave as the supreme lord,” he said.
Regarding the present situation in Bangladesh, Quader said the people of the country want to return to a democratic process as soon as possible.
“Right now, after the people’s uprising, the common masses want a proper democratic structure. For the last several decades, although governments were formed by the people, those governments never worked for the people,” he said.
Quader called for reforms not only in the government structure but also in the constitution to prevent “no single political party or individual from becoming too powerful.”
“In the past, we have seen parties, after coming to power, turn into autocratic regimes by undermining independent institutions. This should not happen. If necessary, there should be reforms in our constitution to stop this trend,” he said.
Quader welcomed Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s appeal on Sunday for the people to have "patience" as it is difficult to address the "mountain-like challenges" overnight while promising them a free, fair, and participatory election after implementing key reforms in various sectors.
“I think the appeal and comments he made are very positive, and these reforms must take place as soon as possible,” he said.
The interim government led by Yunus is trying to stabilise the country, with reforms in various sectors being their top priority.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
