India had role in Bangladesh’s progress

With the Jatiya Sangsad elections due by early 2024, Information Minister Hasan Mahmud has said political stability in Bangladesh is "very important" for regional stability and "there lies the importance of India".

Interacting with the Indian media at the Press Club of India in New Delhi yesterday evening, the minister said Bangladesh made robust economic progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as evidenced by the rise in GDP and per capita income.

"Bangladesh's economic progress would not have been possible without India's political support," he said in his opening remarks before a question-answer session.

The minister said the two neighbours should work together and enhance bilateral cooperation to overcome the adverse effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which was impacting the availability of commodities, especially food grains.

"Bangladesh imports many commodities, many of which are from India. So, if we work together and if India helps us, it will be better."

Replying to a question about the pending Teesta river water-sharing deal, the minister said Bangladesh-India ties does not depend only on this issue, rather it depends on much more diverse issues.

"There is progress on the [Teesta] issue. There are some constitutional issues involved and once they are sorted out, there would be progress," he said making an apparent reference to the fact the consent of the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, which opposed the deal, is necessary to resolve the issue.

Asked about a question on the plight of religious minorities in Bangladesh, Hasan said the PM repeatedly mentioned that Bangladesh doesn't consider anyone as minority community member as everyone is equal.

He said this year's Durga Puja was absolutely peaceful and the number of pujas went up considerably.

The minister said last year's Durga Puja was hit by some incidents due to "rumours and fake reports" deliberately spread through social media and the effects of that could be seen before the conventional media could counter the social media posts.

He said there are radical elements in both Bangladesh and India, who would like to disturb peace and communal harmony.