Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has called on the government to seek an official explanation from India’s new High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi over his reported remarks suggesting that “India and Bangladesh becoming one”.
In a post on his verified Facebook page on Saturday, Dr Shafiqur said the statement attributed to the newly appointed envoy had come to his attention shortly after Trivedi arrived in Bangladesh through the Benapole-Petrapole border the previous day. The opposition leader in Parliament stressed that both Bangladesh and India are sovereign and independent states, and any ambiguous statement on their relationship could create unnecessary confusion among the public if not properly clarified.
He urged the government to treat the matter seriously and seek clarification from the Indian diplomat. According to him, if the statement was made in a literal sense, it would be “highly condemnable” and requires immediate explanation from the relevant authorities.
Dinesh Trivedi was formally welcomed by officials from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the Indian High Commission, and the Benapole Land Port authorities upon his arrival. He later travelled to Dhaka by road, where he briefly interacted with journalists before continuing his engagements.
Dinesh Trivedi, a former Indian railway minister and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Barrackpore, was appointed in April as India’s 18th High Commissioner to Bangladesh, succeeding Pranay Verma. His appointment marked a notable shift from the traditional practice of posting career diplomats from the Indian Foreign Service to Dhaka, as he became the first politician to hold the post since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Shafiqur’s remarks have added a political dimension to the envoy’s arrival, highlighting sensitivities surrounding diplomatic statements and bilateral perceptions between the neighbouring countries.
