Mob violence started after rumours spread through social media that a copy of the Quran had been desecrated at a puja pandal. It was a rare statement in South Asia where majoritarian violence is often simply ignored in messages by the top-most authorities. Delhi, in fact, praised Dhaka. The gap between Hasina pointing fingers at India while Delhi commended her is the result of significant changes in the India-Bangladesh relationship of late.
The two countries have enjoyed excellent ties over the past decade. As can be expected, Bangladeshi Hindus have been even more indignant that India patted Dhaka on the back. Are Indians blind? Never expected [this] from India. An Iskcon temple was attacked in Bangladesh as part of the rioting, with one devotee killed. This politics, in fact, places special focus on the Hindus of Bangladesh, particularly in Assam and West Bengal, states that host a large numbers of migrants from the country.
In the Lok Sabha election campaign, for example, Modi gave a speech in which he said that Bangladeshi Hindus would be welcome to come to India. Successful coalitions at the Centre have been usually headed by leaders with weak power bases. Is a green Diwali possible? Ultra right and wrong: Women in India face a new threat to their freedom of choice. Nehru, Iqbal, cricket and the question of Muslim identity. Hate smug liberals? Interested in blogging for timesofindia.
We will be happy to have you on board as a blogger, if you have the knack for writing. Just drop in a mail at toiblogs timesinternet. Accept Reject. Update Consent. This romance was even adumbrated by our geography: India surrounds Bangladesh on three sides, a great bear-hug of a border.
But in the decades since Bangladesh's independence, the affair has gone sour. The troubles began almost from the start. After intervening in the war, the Indian army did what armies do - they behaved like victorious soldiers. Pakistan did not surrender to Bangladesh - the treaty signed on December 16 was between an Indian general and a Pakistani general. Suddenly the war that Bangladeshi freedom fighters had been waging became yet another skirmish between the two elder children of partition.
And those same freedom fighters were forced to surrender their arms to the Indian troops. It was a symbolic wound that would fester. The bear-hug began to feel like a stranglehold. Relations between India and Bangladesh were soon further strained: in , the Indian government built the Farakka Barrage 10 miles from the Bangladesh border; it diverted Ganges water to the Hoogli river basin, raising salinity levels, contaminating fisheries, hindering navigation, and posing a threat to public health.
Many Bangladeshi villages were plunged into drought, which kickstarted a sentiment of anti-Indianism that has gripped the popular imagination in Bangladesh ever since. None of these issues stop Bangladeshis from embracing our neighbour's prolific cultural exports. We buy Indian cars, Indian saris, and most importantly, we adore Bollywood.
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