New Delhi: Dhaka has responded sharply to India’s remark on the demolition of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s house on February 6 (Thursday).
The Bangladesh foreign ministry on Sunday (February 9) said that India’s remarks over the internal affairs of its neighbour were “unwarranted and undesirable”.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal had called the demolition “regrettable” and said that the “act of vandalism should be strongly condemned” in a statement last week.
Bangladesh foreign ministry spokesperson Rafiqul Alam said that former Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina has been making political remarks at various occasions while staying in India, which were not well-received by the people of Bangladesh, Prothom Alo reported.
The demolition last week was prompted by a live online address, in which Hasina urged people to organise a resistance against the current regime in her country. She was addressing her former party’s student wing, the Chhatra League.
A large group of protesters gathered at Rahman’s former residence on Dhanmondi 32 during her address and set the house on fire. Later, an excavator was brought in to demolish the house.
Alam said, “India’s comment on Bangladesh’s internal affairs was unwarranted and undesirable. We have witnessed various kinds of adverse situations in the neighbouring country, but Bangladesh does not comment on the internal matters of any country, and we expect the same from others.”
He added that Bangladesh has registered strong protests with India over Hasina’s “false and fabricated” statements on various platforms that aim to create instability in Bangladesh.
The foreign ministry in Dhaka summoned India’s acting high commissioner and handed over a formal protest letter last week. A day later, Bangladesh’s acting high commissioner was summoned in Delhi.
