India should forget Pakistan, focus on BD: Tripura governor

Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy has said India should forget developing relations with Pakistan and instead stress on improving ties with Bangladesh, reports bdnews24.com.

He made the suggestion in his address to the Tripura Conclave-2 at Rabindra Bhavan in Agartala on Thursday night.

"Both the foreign service persons and political leadership are very Pakistan centric in their thinking. Whenever they think of neighbouring country, they only think of Pakistan," said Roy.

"But the position of Bangladesh and how it has separated one part of India from another and how this could be overcome was never given due importance."

"The present Prime Minister Narendra Modi has understood this problem and was boldly trying to overcome it. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina also reciprocated it.

"As a result, this is going to be a great opportunity for the state of Tripura," Roy said.

He was speaking on opportunities and advantages of improved relations with Bangladesh for Tripura, which share an 856 km border with each other.

Roy also viewed that geopolitically Bangladesh was more important to India than Pakistan.

India should have resumed all pre-partition connectivity in 1971 when East Pakistan was liberated and Bangladesh was created.

The governor without naming West Bengal suggested that Tripura should take advantage of the myopic policy of that state government.  

He said Tripura should welcome the industries which West Bengal was chasing away by persisting with a "suicidal land policy".

"This is a great opportunity and this must be grabbed without thinking twice," he added.