India Must Moderate the Anti-Bangladeshi Fury Fueled by the Media: Jawhar Sircar

India must moderate the anti-Bangladeshi fury fueled by the media: Jawhar Sircar, former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP & former Prasar Bharati CEO, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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In an interview where he seeks to explain the many reasons why Bangladeshis have reservations about India as well as the historical character of Hindu-Muslim relations within Bangladesh, the former CEO of Prasar Bharati and former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP, Jawhar Sircar, has called for India to moderate the anti-Bangladeshi fury sweeping through the country and to “refrain from reacting to every provocation” from Bangladesh.



Mr. Sircar argues that the anti-Bangladeshi fury in India is playing into the hands of extremists and fundamentalists in Bangladesh. In this context, he points out that the decision to force Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Mustafizur Rahman was completely mistaken and wrong. It overlooked the fact that Mustafizur Rahman is an icon and hero for Bangladeshis and in no way responsible for the mistreatment of Hindus in that country. Now, he says, this will encourage ordinary Bangladeshis to turn against India.



In the interview, Mr. Sircar explains both Hindu-Muslim relations in Bangladesh as well as Bangladesh’s relationship with India, starting with the way Bengali Hindu Bhadralok dominated Bangladeshi Muslims during two centuries of British rule because of the disproportionate advantage they got from the exploitative zamindari system and from the monopolization of government jobs.



He then talks about mistakes India has made in supporting Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina and, in particular, turning a blind eye to her excesses and growing unpopularity. As he points out, when Sheikh Hasina fell from power “rage against her excesses spilled over as vitriol against India for propping her up.”



Mr. Sircar offers a detailed understanding of the historical evolution of India-Bangladesh relations which explains the present situation between the two countries and how it has emerged. Then, against this background, he talks about the forthcoming Bangladesh elections and why he believes the victory of Tarique Rahman and his Bangladesh Nationalist Party, despite its historical adverse attitude to India, would be the best outcome for New Delhi.



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