Editorial Desk :
Former Indian Foreign Minister Mr Salman Khurshid who was holding the portfolio at the time leading to January 5, 2014 controversial election has made critical disclosures in his recently published book about how India handled Bangladesh politics taking sides according to its convenience.
In his book ‘The Other Side of the Mountain’ (Hay House India) he recalled the warm relation he was able to develop with BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia breaking the past ice in relations during her visit to Delhi in October 2012 and then writes “as events in Bangladesh turned to ugly confrontation on the streets between the government supporters and the young aspirational nationalists on one side and the Jamaat-e-Islami radicals on the other (and) we were virtually squeezed into the Awami League camp” and all those initial signs of positive vibes with BNP melted away.
He writes as a local English daily published a review of his book as saying India had to make a choice as “there was a real danger of falling between two stools and losing the momentum of the impressive achievements we had been able to
make (with Dhaka) But what the Awami League needed urgently before the general election was the deal on Teesta water sharing and the exchange of enclaves.”
Obviously Sheikh Hasina government wanted to use those achievements to win people’s support but actually the exchange of enclaves happened a year later when Congress was voted out of power and the Teesta deal is yet to be signed.
Our question is whether it was a good move or a good diplomacy to deprive the people by a bureaucratically arranged election only to get elected a person of Indian choice to form the government in Bangladesh. Instead solving the crisis with the help of people’s wishes, India imposed its own chosen government. In our view India has not only violated political ethics and Bangladesh’s sovereign interest and made a democratic peaceful solution to this crisis now impossible. The people of Bangladesh expected India to help them realise the dream of a democratic Bangladesh like its help in the liberation war.
What Mr Salman Khurshid’s book suggests is that India worked closely with the Sheikh Hasina government to hold the non-inclusive election and did everything to keep the opposition out of the race.
Being assured of India’s choice Hasina had got all courage and confidence to go ahead with the plan of engineering the election in her favour in 2014. The visit of India’s Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh to Dhaka one week prior to the election to fix everything and influence HM Ershad to join the election, as representing the opposition. Such open interference in the internal election of a country is just revolting for any respectable people.
Such disclosures cancelled out Awami League’s claim that they had held a free and fair election and they have protected democracy by holding this election of 5th January 2014. India chose Sheikh Hasina and to our astonishment, everything else became easy to manage. So shameful it is for a free country not to be free to elect its government.
The book talks about how delicately India has had to handle its relations with Bangladesh, in the light of the bitter political rivalry between Awami League and BNP.
‘….As I looked around, there was a virtual storm brewing in Bangladesh between the Awami League Government of Sheikh Hasina (the incumbent prime minister) and the belligerent opposition led by Begum Khaleda Zia’ before her visit to Delhi, the author claims.
Because of the strong antagonistic relationship between Awami League and BNP India moved not to seek popular verdict. This policy of India was wrong and harmful for maintaining people to people good relationship.
Bangladesh needed help from friends to resolve the crisis of leadership by making the leaders accountable to the people. The system of democracy is needed to work for ending personal leadership squabble democratically.
Former Indian Foreign Minister Mr Salman Khurshid who was holding the portfolio at the time leading to January 5, 2014 controversial election has made critical disclosures in his recently published book about how India handled Bangladesh politics taking sides according to its convenience.
In his book ‘The Other Side of the Mountain’ (Hay House India) he recalled the warm relation he was able to develop with BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia breaking the past ice in relations during her visit to Delhi in October 2012 and then writes “as events in Bangladesh turned to ugly confrontation on the streets between the government supporters and the young aspirational nationalists on one side and the Jamaat-e-Islami radicals on the other (and) we were virtually squeezed into the Awami League camp” and all those initial signs of positive vibes with BNP melted away.
He writes as a local English daily published a review of his book as saying India had to make a choice as “there was a real danger of falling between two stools and losing the momentum of the impressive achievements we had been able to
make (with Dhaka) But what the Awami League needed urgently before the general election was the deal on Teesta water sharing and the exchange of enclaves.”
Obviously Sheikh Hasina government wanted to use those achievements to win people’s support but actually the exchange of enclaves happened a year later when Congress was voted out of power and the Teesta deal is yet to be signed.
Our question is whether it was a good move or a good diplomacy to deprive the people by a bureaucratically arranged election only to get elected a person of Indian choice to form the government in Bangladesh. Instead solving the crisis with the help of people’s wishes, India imposed its own chosen government. In our view India has not only violated political ethics and Bangladesh’s sovereign interest and made a democratic peaceful solution to this crisis now impossible. The people of Bangladesh expected India to help them realise the dream of a democratic Bangladesh like its help in the liberation war.
What Mr Salman Khurshid’s book suggests is that India worked closely with the Sheikh Hasina government to hold the non-inclusive election and did everything to keep the opposition out of the race.
Being assured of India’s choice Hasina had got all courage and confidence to go ahead with the plan of engineering the election in her favour in 2014. The visit of India’s Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh to Dhaka one week prior to the election to fix everything and influence HM Ershad to join the election, as representing the opposition. Such open interference in the internal election of a country is just revolting for any respectable people.
Such disclosures cancelled out Awami League’s claim that they had held a free and fair election and they have protected democracy by holding this election of 5th January 2014. India chose Sheikh Hasina and to our astonishment, everything else became easy to manage. So shameful it is for a free country not to be free to elect its government.
The book talks about how delicately India has had to handle its relations with Bangladesh, in the light of the bitter political rivalry between Awami League and BNP.
‘….As I looked around, there was a virtual storm brewing in Bangladesh between the Awami League Government of Sheikh Hasina (the incumbent prime minister) and the belligerent opposition led by Begum Khaleda Zia’ before her visit to Delhi, the author claims.
Because of the strong antagonistic relationship between Awami League and BNP India moved not to seek popular verdict. This policy of India was wrong and harmful for maintaining people to people good relationship.
Bangladesh needed help from friends to resolve the crisis of leadership by making the leaders accountable to the people. The system of democracy is needed to work for ending personal leadership squabble democratically.
