Letters to the Editor: Bangladesh’s Hostility Towards India

Bangladesh’s hostility towards India

Ever since Bangladesh's interim government, headed by its advisor Muhammed Yunus, came to power, it has not only clouded India's Neighbourhood First Policy with uncertainty, but the rise of radical Islamist forces has also raised internal security concerns in the entire Northeast region. The recent arrest of a dreaded cadre of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) in the Dhubri district, bordering Bangladesh by the Special Task Force (STF) has sounded alarm bells on the spurt in anti-India activities and recruitment of like-minded people in the state, which has emerged as a serious setback to step up cooperation to improve cross-border connectivity, trade and commerce, power and energy sectors with the neighbouring country. The editorial 'Bangladesh's hostility toward India is a strategic blunder,' published in your esteemed daily on February 25, has rightly pointed out the External Affairs Minister (EAN) J. Jaishankar's statement that under these growing hostilities towards India, it has become impossible for the Indian government to maintain peace and order in the Northeast, which is a must for faster development and progress, using the 'Chicken Neck Corridor' to expedite railway, road, air, and waterway connectivity, and undertaking mega projects in the region. The Bangladesh administration must keep in mind how important a smooth bilateral relationship between the two countries is and maintaining the best of bilateral ties with India is strategically more important for Bangladesh as well as India, which will be short-lived if it continues to dance in the direction of China and Pakistan. The sooner the Muhammed Yunus administration understands the hard reality and stops raising unjustified hostility towards India, the better it will be for the poverty-stricken and overpopulated Bangladesh to sustain its growth momentum in the days to come. Let us hope and pray that good sense would prevail upon Bangladesh and bilateral ties with India would be strengthened in the near future.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Kohli’s masterclass

Indian batting mainstay for long, Virat Kohli has beautifully turned things around from almost a point of no return. The classy batsman richly deserves the fulsome praise heaped upon him by cricket connoisseurs, including past greats of the game. His unbeaten 100 in the Champions Trophy game against Pakistan at Dubai was a masterclass. Kohli's knock, coming under intense pressure, was special, and his fans must have heaved a sigh of relief. After all, form is temporary, but class is permanent. One of India's greatest batsmen ever, the 36-year-old has an uncanny knack of delivering in crunch situations. What sets him apart from others is the ease with which he finds gaps. Excellent timing, playing almost the correct copy-book strokes irrespective of the format and firm handling of the pitch vagaries are almost unmatched in contemporary cricket. From the "carefree" Delhi boy, as Kohli was when he debuted for India, his evolution as a legend has been a culmination of unbridled talent and unwavering diligence. A brilliant athlete that he is, his fielding and catching abilities are additional assets for the team. None other than Kohli himself should be wary of the fact that in a country like India, he will be panned once he enters an inevitable bad patch by the same fans who had gone over the moon on his stupendous knocks. In the evening of his glittering career, the immensely gifted player should concentrate only on what he knows best: playing the game with passion.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)