Begum Khaleda Zia's interview given to the Indian Express after the visit of the Indian Foreign Minister to Dhaka has angered the Awami League (AL) leaders very much. In Parliament, they pretty much tore apart the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for blaming the Awami League-led government for India's failure to deliver the Teesta and LBA (Land Boundary Agreement) deals. The AL leaders, led by the Ministers Amir Hossain Amu and Matia Chowdhury, hurled abuses and by their body language convinced those who watched them on TV footages that this was an interview that Begum Zia should not have given.
Readers could go on line (http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/i-dont-think-many-bangladeshis-go-to-india-they-are-doing-quite-well-here/) and read the interview to find out for themselves why Amir Hossain, Matia Chowdhury et al. were so angry with the BNP leader. If they do, they would be surprised to the contrary. In the interview, Begum Zia answered critical questions on the Modi Government, her meeting with Sushma Swaraj, the issue of alleged Bangladeshis in India, the way the Congress Government had conducted bilateral relations and also on issues of the country's domestic politics, including her views on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and January 05 elections. On the answer that offended the AL leaders, she said: "Actually it is the failure, or lack of will, of our government to protect the interests of the people of Bangladesh on unresolved issues that turned out to be the bigger problem."
Begum Khaleda Zia in fact did the AL-led government favour in the context of the issue of alleged Bangladeshis in her interview. Narendra Modi had threatened that millions of alleged Bangladeshis would be pushed across the border from day one of his government. Sushma Swaraj did not raise this issue in Dhaka but, nevertheless, it has the potentials to disrupt smooth development of relations between Dhaka and New Delhi under the Modi Government. Begum Zia upheld Bangladesh's national interests when she stated in the interview that people in Bangladesh "are doing quite well" and hence there is no reason for them to go to India. Therefore, the AL should be grateful to Begum Zia for giving the AL a national consensus on the issue to negotiate with the new Indian government when the issue comes up in bilateral talks as Sushma Swaraj had stated it would soon.
On issues of history and family, Begum Zia did not hesitate to mention the contribution of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as she did of her husband Ziaur Rahman. She was, of course, critical of the outgoing Congress government and explained the reasons why. She blamed the Congress government for establishing relations with the Awami League instead of Bangladesh and also blamed the Awami League for pursuing such an unusual way of conducting bilateral relations.
In particular, Begum Zia mentioned the unusual trip the Indian Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh undertook to Dhaka before the January 05 elections and her attempts to broker the elections in the AL's favour. Begum Zia predictably criticised the outgoing Congress government but to her credit, she maintained her calm although the BNP rightfully holds the Congress government responsible for its present nightmarish predicament in the politics of Bangladesh.
Begum Zia's views towards the BJP government and Narendra Modi were positive. She, nevertheless, would like to wait for the new government to reveal the way it would want to conduct its relations with Bangladesh before stating definitive views of the BNP about it. She did not, however, leave anyone guessing how the BNP expected the BJP government to conduct relations with Bangladesh through her vivid description and criticism of the way the outgoing Congress government had conducted bilateral relations. She did not mention anything in the interview to suggest that the BNP was expecting the BJP government to put pressure on the AL-led government for fresh elections in Bangladesh. After the Indian elections, the AL had ridiculed the BNP for being ecstatic at BJP's victory, expecting that the BJP government would push for new elections in the country.
The AL leaders were within their rights to be critical of the BNP leader for blaming the AL-led government instead of the outgoing Congress government of India for failures in the Teesta and LBA deals. However, their choice of words and the body language were beyond the limits of decency and decorum. In their criticisms, the AL leaders went into denial over the fact that many outside the BNP were also critical of the way the AL led-government had negotiated with the Congress-led government on the deals. One member of the Bangladesh negotiating team had stated in the media that it would be "uncivilised" to charge India for using land transit. Another Adviser had argued that Bangladesh would be so rich by becoming the "regional connectivity hub" through giving India the land transit that it would have no need to ask India for any transit fee.
Begum Zia used her interview with a major Indian daily to achieve her party's political objectives. The interview itself was an acknowledgement that notwithstanding what the AL-led government thinks, the BNP represents the de facto opposition party in the country; a recognition given to it by the UN Secretary General following the faux pas over his meeting with the President and Sushma Swaraj during her visit to Dhaka. Begum Zia's political objectives in the interview were a few. First, it was to flag for the Indian readers of the newspaper that the Congress had intervened in Bangladesh's internal affairs blatantly in favour of the Awami League and was responsible for the latter returning to power through the January 05 elections. Second, she wanted send a message to India that the BNP expected the BJP government to conduct bilateral relations in the interests of the government and people of Bangladesh where the interests of the Awami League would not be a matter of any concern at all.
Minister Amir Hussain Amu said, while criticising Begum Zia for the interview, that the BNP would sell Bangladesh to India. This makes little sense. The reactions of the AL leaders perhaps suggest that they are worried with the interview because it underlined Bangladesh-India relations under the Congress government in a manner that could influence the BJP government. The signs of such influence are already evident. During her visit, Sushma Swaraj did not just give BNP de facto recognition, she also made it clear that future Bangladesh-India relations would be based on people-to-people contacts and in it, the interests of the Awami League would be of no consequence.
Begum Khaleda Zia did herself credit with the interview by proving her worth as a national leader, the anger and accusations of the Awami League leaders notwithstanding. She gave a direction to Bangladesh-India relations that would bring the peoples of the two countries closer in mutually beneficial relationship for sustainable bilateral relations. Therefore, it would be advisable for both the present governments in Bangladesh and India to follow the issues she raised and discussed in her interview if the two are interested in developing sustainable bilateral relations.
The writer is a retired career Ambassador. [email protected]
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
