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Amid Bangladesh's hostile behaviour, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in a strong note told the neighbouring country must "make up their mind" right now on how they want to maintain their relationship with India. He further slammed Dhaka saying they connot keep saying ‘want good ties with India’ and at same time keep blaming New Delhi. Meanwhile, Bangladesh responded saying, of coure it wants good relation with India but it should be ‘mutual’.
What EAM Jaishankar said on ties with Bangladesh? Days after meeting with Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain . EAM Jaishankar said, "If every day someone in the interim government stands up and blames India for everything - some of those things if you look at the reports, are absolutely ridiculous..
.You cannot, on the one hand, say that 'I would now like to have good relations with you', but I wake up every morning and blame you for everything that goes wrong. It is a decision that they must make.
" "They must make up their minds on what kind of relationship they want to have with New Delhi, going forward. We have a long history with Bangladesh. We have a very special history with Bangladesh - one that goes back to 1971," he added.
Jaishankar also said, India has "sent a clear message to Bangladesh" - that New Delhi would like things to calm down and do not appreciate Bangladesh's constant hostile messaging How Bangladesh responded? Responding to it, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain said, "Of course, Bangladesh will determine its stance. But at the same time, India also needs to decide what kind of relationship it wants with Bangladesh.
This is a mutual matter, and there is nothing wrong in stating that,” Hossain was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency. He said that Bangladesh has a clear stance on its relations with India, emphasising the importance of a good working relationship based on mutual respect and shared interests. “We want a relationship built on mutual understanding, and there is no ambiguity in our position,” he told reporters.
Hossain also criticised ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's statements during her stay in India, saying that her remarks were detrimental to Dhaka-Delhi relations. “If we want to improve ties, then a former prime minister making various statements while enjoying Indian hospitality only fuels tensions. It is widely recognized that her remarks are adding fuel to the fire,” he asserted.
He also said that Bangladesh’s minority issue cannot be India’s concern. "Bangladesh’s minorities are Bangladesh's issue, just as how India treats its minorities is India's concern," Hossain was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune newspaper..
