Bangladesh Must Decide Its Relationship with India: Jaishankar

“If every day someone from the interim government in Bangladesh blames India for everything, some of these accusations, when looked at, are absolutely baseless,” Jaishankar remarked. He added, “You cannot claim to seek good relations with us while simultaneously pointing fingers at us every morning for everything that goes wrong. This is a decision Bangladesh needs to make.”

Jaishankar further stressed that India has sent a clear message to Dhaka, hoping for a de-escalation of tensions and the restoration of normal bilateral ties. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the persistent negative rhetoric emanating from Bangladesh.

The Indian Minister outlined two key concerns that were “very troubling” for India.

“The ongoing attacks on minorities in Bangladesh are deeply concerning. This affects how we view the situation, and we have voiced our concerns publicly,” he explained, referencing the first issue.

The second concern, Jaishankar noted, was that despite the differences in politics, the two countries are neighbors, and Bangladesh must decide what kind of relationship it seeks with India. “We have a long and special history with Bangladesh, rooted in our shared struggle in 1971,” he added.

Jaishankar concluded by emphasizing that Bangladesh cannot simultaneously express a desire for normal relations with India while continuing to engage in hostile messaging towards New Delhi. “We do not wish to see a constant stream of negative signals coming from across the border,” he said.