B’desh, India hold key talks on tackling floods
The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Mohammad Yunus, on Thursday proposed that India and his country should consider a mechanism for high-level collaboration to tackle floods since the two sides share several rivers and catchment areas. Yunus made the proposal at a meeting with Indian high commissioner Pranay Verma in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon, against the backdrop of devastating floods in the Indian state of Tripura and eastern districts of Bangladesh.
Referring to regular meetings between India’s Border Security Force and Border Guard Bangladesh, the interim government’s chief adviser called for a mechanism for high-level collaboration that can be activated in case of emergencies such as floods, Yunus’s spokesperson Shafiqul Alam told a media briefing.
Alam quoted the Indian envoy as saying that heavy rains had caused unprecedented floods in Tripura, where some 50,000 people were displaced. The flooding caused havoc on both sides, Verma said.
Some reports in Bangladesh, especially on social media, implied that the flooding was caused by India’s decision to open a dam in Tripura. India’s external affairs ministry dismissed these reports and said flooding in Bangladesh was due to waters from large catchments downstream.
Despite the Indian side’s clarification, Bangladesh’s de facto information minister Nahid Islam contended India opened the dam in Tripura without any warning. He claimed India had “demonstrated its inhumanity” and was not cooperating with Bangladesh.
“We hope India will abandon such anti-people policies against Bangladesh as soon as possible. The students and people of Bangladesh are angered by this policy of India,” Nahid told reporters.
At his meeting with Yunus, Verma said India wants to work with Bangladesh, and also raised the issue of protecting the minorities of Bangladesh. Verma emphasised the shared prosperity of the two countries and said India strongly believes in a “strong and prosperous Bangladesh”, Alam told reporters.
Verma noted that 1.6 million Bangladeshi citizens visited India last year, and that India has its largest visa operation in Bangladesh. “We are really looking forward to working together,” Verma was quoted as saying by Alam. Yunus said that Bangladesh is a “big family and we are all brothers and sisters”. He reiterated his earlier remarks that reports in India on the status of Bangladesh’s minorities and their rights were “exaggerated”.
Alam said the Indian envoy also raised concerns about the security of the Indian high commission in Dhaka in light of some unfortunate social media posts.
The Indian high commission said Verma had paid an introductory call on Yunus. “Reiterated India’s commitment to working with Bangladesh to fulfil shared aspirations of peoples of India and Bangladesh for peace, security and development,” the mission said in a post on X.
Ousted Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5 after massive protests against her government.