New Delhi: National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah has upped his anti-India rhetoric, threatening to isolate the Seven Sisters and providing refuge to Northeast separatists if Bangladesh is destabilised.
Known for his strong anti-India rhetoric, Abdullah serves as the chief organiser (southern region) of the student-led NCP. The north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura are collectively referred to as the Seven Sisters.
“If Bangladesh is destabilised, the fire of resistance will spread beyond borders. Since you are housing those who destabilise us, we will give refuge to the separatists of seven sisters too,” Hasnat said Monday at an all-party protest rally organised by Inqilab Mancha in Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar.
“I want to say clearly to India that if you shelter forces who do not respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, potential, voting rights and human rights, Bangladesh will respond,” he said, adding that destabilising Bangladesh would have wider regional consequences.
Bangladesh is still facing attempts by “vultures” to exert control over the country even after 54 years of independence, he said, without explicitly naming New Delhi for its alleged interference in Dhaka’s affairs.
His colleague and NCP convener Nahid Islam, meanwhile, called for nationwide Victory Day rallies against “Indian interference”. Victory Day commemorates Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
“On Victory Day tomorrow, we will not take to the streets for celebration. We will take to the streets for resistance. In Dhaka and across Bangladesh, we will hold resistance rallies against Indian hegemony and all anti-Bangladesh conspiracies,” the NCP convener said Monday.
The rally was organised by Inqilab Mancha, a platform that emerged from student-led protest networks associated with the July uprising, and followed last week’s attempted assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi, a spokesperson for the group and an independent parliamentary candidate.
It drew representatives from a wide ideological spectrum, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, Gano Odhikar Parishad, AB Party and Islami Andolan Bangladesh, local reports stated.
Islam described the attack as a sign of a broader political assault. “With the bullet hitting Osman Hadi, the July Revolution has been attacked.”
In remarks to journalists two days earlier, Islam alleged that India and Awami League may have been linked to the attack, though he provided no evidence. He claimed the Awami League was operating from exile in New Delhi with Indian backing and was seeking to re-establish influence within Bangladesh’s administration, police, universities and media.
“Unless the Awami League issue is resolved comprehensively in society and politics, none of us will be safe,” he said after a meeting with Bangladesh interim chief Muhammad Yunus, which was attended by opposition leaders and members of Hadi’s family.
Following this, the Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on New Delhi to prevent suspects linked to the attempted killing from crossing into Indian territory and to ensure their arrest and extradition should they do so.
India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded Sunday, has never allowed its territory to be used for activities inimical to the interests of the friendly people of Bangladesh.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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What to expect from a Vagabond immature illiterate raficalized big-mouth?
It’s so funny how these people bark so loud. Don’t they realize that what we will do if they do anything funny ? Then they will cry and beg and we will obviously forgive them because that’s what we do unfortunately.
Anyway north eastern folks are sick and tired of them. So I challenge these terrorists to do it. It’s time to take all the undue advantage we have give to their industries which we did at the expense of our industries. Let them suffer and rot while they have fantasies over north east.
Sounds harsh ? I am a patriot of this country and I will defend everyone including the north eastern people.
Print – stop censoring people or do you support censorship ?