Indian govt trying to divert attention from economic crisis: Prof Serajul on NRC

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are not just India’s “internal issue” any more, and Bangladesh government should take a clear stance regarding them, speakers at a discussion said yesterday.

The developing “crisis” in India could badly affect Bangladesh like the Rohingya issue of Myanmar did. Considering this, Bangladesh should take precautionary measures, they said at the roundtable at Dhaka Reporter’s Unity.

Ganosamhati Andolon, a left-leaning political party, organised the event titled “CAA and NRC in India: Impact on South Asia and what Bangladesh can do”.

“[Bangladesh] government has been saying it [CAA and NRC] is India’s internal issue; this is objectionable. It is a global problem,” Dhaka University Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury said. “If the neighbour’s house catches fire, ours will too at some point,” he added.

Explaining the strike on the multi-cultural character of Indian subcontinent through the partition in 1947 under British rule, he said, “India is turning into a jail for communities.”

He also said, “India is going through an ‘extreme economic crisis’ and the [Indian] government is trying to divert people’s attention from it.”

Terming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “second Hitler”, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury predicted that the NRC issue could spark the third world war.

“Impact of the current Indian government’s religious bigotry is already evident in cities across the country. The genuflecting policy of Bangladesh government will only courage them,” he claimed.

Bangladesh in already under terrible pressure over “12 lakh Rohingyas”, he said.

“We won’t be able to tackle a crisis centring Indian refugees,” Dr Zafrullah added.

He suggested arranging a march towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and rejecting Indian products, as part of a stance against India’s NRC.

Prof Sayeed Ferdous of Jahangirnagar University presented a concept note on the CAA and NRC crisis where he said the issue will be catastrophic for India in the long run as well as a big blow for Bangladesh.

Due to Bangladesh government’s “subjugated attitude” towards India, statement of Ducsu VP Nur makes them uncomfortable and he is being attacked, Prof Sayeed said, criticising the comments of Awami League leader Tofael Ahmed on Nur’s activity.

Noted photographer Shahidul Alam urged all to take to streets in protest of India’s NRC.

The event was presided over by Chief Coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon Zonayed Saki.