dc188 India Lodges Strong Protest Against Bangladesh After Minister Posts Controversial Remarks On Social Media

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal | Photo: PTI External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal | Photo: PTI

India on Friday lodged a strong protest against Bangladesh after its de-facto minister Mahfuz Alam made a controversial post on social media. Alam reportedly deleted the concerned social media post soon after it received backlash.dc188

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments."

Mahfuz Alam is known for his provocative comments, had reportedly said that India should not forget the uprising that forced Sheikh Hasina to resign as the prime minister of Bangladesh and flee the country.

Alam also posted a map purportedly showing parts of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam as parts of Bangladesh on Facebook four days ago.

He later deleted the post as he received backlash on social media.

Alam is a de facto minister in the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh.

The relations between India and Bangladesh are reeling under severe strain after the interim government headed by Yunus came to power in August.

jackpot party casino

Yunus assumed the charge as the head of the interim dispensation days after the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post and fled to India in the face of a massive anti-government protest.

Also Read | Centre Cites 2,200 Cases Of Violence Against Hindus, And Other Minorities In Bangladesh

How Has India Responded?

Strongly reacting to the post, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday reminded all concerned to be "mindful" of their public comments.

"We have taken this up with the Bangladeshi government. We have strongly registered a protest on this issue. We understand that the post being referred to has reportedly been taken down.

"We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments. While India has repeatedly signalled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation," he said, as per PTI.

Jaiswal emphasized on maintaining cordial relations between the two countries and said, "We have very clearly defined our approach towards our ties with Bangladesh. We have said that we support a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh."

"We have reiterated our willingness to build a positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on mutual trust, respect and mutual sensitivity to each other's concerns and interest," Jaiswal added.

One did not realise the enormity of this feat. Harmanpreet is basically a defensive midfielder in footballing parlance and to score 200 goals, is truly a great achievement.

Pakistan, on the other hand, are behind India in second place, with eight points to their name, and also beat hosts China 5-1 in their most recent fixture. 

"We have also emphasised that the people of Bangladesh are the main stakeholders in the India-Bangladesh relations and noted that India's development cooperation and multi-faceted engagements with Bangladesh including in areas of connectivity, trade, power, energy and capacity building which are all geared towards benefiting the people of Bangladesh," he added.

Asked about Yunus's comments offering to host the stalled SAARC summit in Bangladesh following his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Cairo, Jaiswal said India has been pushing for regional cooperation through various platforms.

"Our efforts have been to boost regional cooperation. We want to move forward with platforms like BIMSTEC," he said, addingdc188, "SAARC is another platform...You know why cooperation under SAARC is not moving forward."