World

Indian Prime Minister makes 'off-the-record' Bangladesh swipe

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has claimed many Bangladeshis are 'very anti-Indian'.

Afp July 02, 2011

NEW DEHLI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has claimed many Bangladeshis are "very anti-Indian", in controversial remarks posted on his official website and then removed for being "off the record".

The comments, splashed in Bangladeshi newspapers on Saturday, could ruffle relations between the South Asian neighbours whose ties have been chequered in the past.

Singh's statements to newspaper editors in New Delhi earlier in the week come just ahead of External Affairs Minister SM Krishna's official visit to the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, from July 6 to 8.

Singh's claim, posted on the prime minister's website on Wednesday, said "we must reckon that at least 25 percent of the population of Bangladesh swear by the Jamaat-e-Islami and they are very anti-Indian".

The Jamaat-e-Islami is Bangladesh's largest Islamic party and was part of the four-party Islamic-allied government between 2001 and 2006.

Singh added Jamaat-e-Islami members "are in the clutches, many times, of the ISI so the political landscape in Bangladesh can change at any time."

India has long suspected members of the ISI, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency, of planning attacks on India, including the deadly 2008 assault on Mumbai.

The prime minister's office removed the remarks from his website on Friday, saying they were "off the record".

"We put it out by mistake," the Indian Express quoted the prime minister's media adviser, Harish Kharem, as saying.

But Singh's comments were headline news on Saturday in Bangladesh's mass-circulation daily Samakal, which titled its lead article: "Uproar over Manmohan's comments".

The paper quoted Bangladesh agriculture minister Motia Chowdhury saying his claim was "not based on fact".

Chowdhury noted the Jamaat-e-Islami got just four percent of votes in the last parliamentary elections, two-and-a-half years ago.

Jamaat-e-Islami also condemned the Indian's prime minister's comments, denying in a statement that it was anti-India and saying that the party "believes in the principle of having a good relationship with India."

COMMENTS (29)

Chamak | 13 years ago | Reply Reality now: It was India's grand plan to split East and West Pakistan while Pakistan was still vulnerable as a young country. . . it was perfect timing for the old experienced India to sabotage and break the two wings before both east and west Pakistan could move forward on solid grounds and prosper. India felt threatened by the east and west wings on each side of India. It had nothing to do with giving the east wing its independence - this was all in dubious India's self serving interest and lots of lives were lost on both sides as a result of India's grand war plan against Pakistan. Bangladesh should never be fooled by India on this premise. Just a simple factual reality for the mature mind to ponder and think about.!! Good luck to Bangladesh in their prosperity and hope they never depend on India.

Mirza Galib | 13 years ago | Reply @Shakir Lakhani: Here you are wrong.. you go any of these countries, people who are educated always want friendship with india and more trade. They might have their personal views on India and Pak, but no way which i understood that any of these countries prefer Pak above India. This all because of out internal backlashes, terrorisium and lack of education. Look at how we are fighting with each other.. I am really ashmed to call myself a pakistani beacuse paople across the world looks at us like we are going to destroy everything.. Please stop comparing pak with india they are much superior and advance in everysense... I don't know when our AWAM and political people with start loving the country..

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from india | 13 years ago | Reply indian foreign policy was horrible all throughout the 90s and early 2000s ... so i understand the anti-indian feeling in south asia ...but now it has changed ... these SAARC countries are now realising that with india they too can grow and attain stability !!

sam | 13 years ago | Reply just read through the comments above.. its raher evident most indias dont like pakistan, bangladesh or muslims.... i wonder why mr singh decided to further the divide by making another country the problem rather than looking in and judging his own coutnry first.

Din-e-illahi Akbar | 13 years ago | Reply @Shakir Lakhani: Lol man stop the ISI propaganda

anil | 13 years ago | Reply @malik we have helped our neighbours very much .For SL, India sent Peace Army and lost its beloved PM. Lakhs of Nepali Gurkhas serve Indian Army,Thousands of cooks,security personnel serve India.India doesn't argue for Visa for Nepali people. India helped Bangladesh in their freedom,recently helped financially.We have no such fellings for our neighbours.India bears the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Nepal,but We accept them with no objection as they adds to our economy and enrichs our culture ,what we had 100 yrs ago.So, those comment here are jealous of us and our good neighbours.

abhishek | 13 years ago | Reply as much as i hate to admit it but it's true.india does act as a regional bully when it comes to bangladesh,especially the releasing of water during monsoons resulting in floods and damming it during summers causing drought.this creates a lot of illwill in bangladeshis abt india but the current govt. there has acted against the terror groups operating in the north east resulting in a slow death of the ULFA insurgency.

Sameer | 13 years ago | Reply @ Shakir - Which Bangladeshis did you meet? The ones at the Pakistani Embassy in Dhaka? Your comment shows that you just wanted to beat your chest and make yourself feel better about the fact that many Bangladeshis feel much closer to India than to Pakistan. Do you realize that Sheikh Mujib's daughter is the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and she is massively pro-India and trying to cooperate with Indians to decrease terrorism in Bangladesh? Your comment about "inferior quality goods" is also hilarious. Bangladeshis are intelligent people. If Indians continually sold them junk, they'd stop trading with Indians. Most in the region outside of Pakistan view India is the regional power that has no aims of invading their turf. India didn't invade Bangladesh in 1971 to make it part of India. It invaded Bangladesh to give it freedom from Pakistan. Don't ever forget the genocide committed by Pakistan from 1970 - 1971 in killing innocent Bengalis, intellectuals, etc. Also, please stop being delusional.

pakman | 13 years ago | Reply @malik I went to Sri Lankan English newspaper sites just after terrorist attack on Sri Lankan team on Lahore. Overwhelming majority of Sri Lankans had anti-india comments and almost nobody was blaming Pakistan, though in my own view Pakistan should have a fair amount of blame for not providing adequate security, but amazingly no comments showed hatred for Pakistan.

Arijit Sharma | 13 years ago | Reply @Unbiased: "India has always had designs on the region and specially her neighbours. ..... Ask any Pakistani. Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Kashmiris, Mayanmar, Maldivians etc. Now I wait for the Indian brigade (paid ones by their propaganda machine to come on this site) to deny." India has no designs on any of its neighbours - because with territory, comes population. Why would India want to add more Muslims by "gobbling up" Pakistan and Bangladesh - even if it was possible ? However, with any Buddhist/Hindu majority nations - such as Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, etc, I am in favour of UNRESTRICTED travel, residence and trade and commerce. And Kashmir is Hindu land occupied by non-indigenous people from Central Asia.

malik | 13 years ago | Reply @Shakir Lakhani: Really? I was in Sri Lanka during the World Cup. I did not see any anti-Indian feeling anywhere. At Odel mall, I asked for Bombay Falooda and that guy gave me an extra scoop. I have been to Kathmandu twice. The guys just hate Maoists, and they think India has not done enough to help them economically, and but certainly it is not anti-Indian feeling anywhere.Most of the Nepalese will give their right hand to go to India for work Same with Bangladesh. Except the hardboiled nuts, very similar to the ones in Pak, most of the Bangladeshis have no bones to pick with India. In fact, given a chance, most of them would gladly sneak out to West Bengal. Bangladesh being pro-Pakistan? Don't make me laugh !!

Noman | 13 years ago | Reply Jamat e Islami has very mush misued Islam and psudo nationalism not only in Bangladesh but in pakistan also in cohorts with military, Mulla, capitalists and other status quo and regressive classes to achieve its political goals which are to stop and reverse political, social and ecomomic evolution, to steal democratic mandate of massses, to reverse peoples march towards an egalitarian and liberal society. Its ideology and tactics are highly influenced by fascist ideals.

Shakir Lakhani | 13 years ago | Reply I visited Bangladesh and found most Bangladeshis anti-Indian and pro-Pakistan (and that includes the HIndus). They recall that their country was much better when it was part of Pakistan and they hate Indians, because many Indian companies have dumped inferior quality goods in their country. One trader showed me aluminium plates which he has not been able to sell for 7 years, as they are of sub-standard quality. Everywhere (Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives) the story is the same: Indians are hated because they are crooks.

Rock | 13 years ago | Reply Suddenly jamat-e-islami realised of indian as well as pro-bangladeshi backlash. Read their funny statement. Good move by Mr. singh. Let the jamt people realise extremism is not in their country's favour. ISI got the big set back from the statement.

Rock | 13 years ago | Reply @Bangladeshi: I hope you are real bangladeshi. can I give a hint... He was talking about those people in bangladesh whom you called as "Razakars" also called as antibangladeshi's , urdu speaking people. who still affliliated themselves to pakistan. I don't need to add about jamat-e-islami's pak link as your govt. is also worried.

Salman | 13 years ago | Reply @ G. Din: Here you go again with your racist anti-Islamic remarks. Overwhelming majority of Bangladeshis ARE secular-minded though deeply spiritual and Islam loving, a difference that will be difficult for you to fathom. It will be easier for you to understand if I say that overwhelming majority of Hindus are secular-minded though deeply spiritual and Hindumat loving, which we in Pakistan have no problem with and can fully understand. It is the Indian hegemonistic and patronizing attitude that breeds anti-Indian sentiments not only in Bangladesh but also in Nepal, a Hindu state, and Sri Lanka, an overwhelmingly Buddhist entity. As difficult as it is for you to reckon religion has very little to do with the anti-Indian attitudes of these countries. You may be right by saying that Manmohan Singh "may have done the politically correct thing" because we do realize that Congress has to counter the significant constituency of Hindutva extremists represented by BJP, VHP, and RSS, and myriads of regional players like Shiv Sena. But G.Din please do not stop your hate-filled obsession with "Islamic threat" because this will keep convincing the Bangladeshis that their original demand for parition was based on legitimate aspirations and ground realities.

Bangladeshi | 13 years ago | Reply This post basically shows the delusional mindset and la la land which most of Indians and sadly, even their Prime Minister live in. "ISI" in Bangladesh? Hahahahahahahah!!! Joke of the century

Someone | 13 years ago | Reply 25%? How did he come up with that? Clear to me — he pulled the number out of his rear.

blithe | 13 years ago | Reply @delh_se: Don't be childish! Balauchistan is part of Pakistan as per all legal rights and instruments. Kashmir is a disputed territory as per UN Resolutions. India must relinquish her troops from Occupied Kashmir and allow the UN to hold free and fair plebecite to allow Kashmiris to exercise their rights. The "integral part of India" garbage is just that - garbage!

G. Din | 13 years ago | Reply @Unbiased: "...always showing themselves to be the opressors when they are actually the agressors" If you had a nice dictionary, you would have not been embarrased with a faux-pas. I am not sure, you would understand what animal faux-pas is! That would need a little bias and you say you are Unbiased!

delh_se | 13 years ago | Reply @Blithe: and Pakistan should do the same with Balochistan right ?

Unbiased | 13 years ago | Reply India has always had designs on the region and specially her neighbours. They have this holier than thou attitude, always showing themselves to be the opressors when they are actually the agressors. So why wont most of their neighbours be anti them? Ask any Pakistani. Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Kashmiris, Mayanmar, Maldivians etc. Now I wait for the Indian brigade (paid ones by their propaganda machine to come on this site) to deny.

monir | 13 years ago | Reply actually this is the comments creating by M.M Shing about Bangladesh, only for taken more benifits at the time of his Bangladesh tour. It is only creating a pressure to Bangladesh govment. Also showing U.S.A EXCELENCY.AND IT'S A BETTER OPTION FOR ADJISTING GOVMENT TO PUNISH MOLLA OALA / DARIOALA/ AND HUJUROALA

dev | 13 years ago | Reply comments should not be looked into out of context. Without knowing why he made the statement, it is premature to comment and judge. Moreover; on the face of it, he is probably right!

Analyst | 13 years ago | Reply Mr Manmohan, so what percentage of Pakistan population swear by various jihadi organizations and is very anti-Indian ?

Safir afkhan. | 13 years ago | Reply Bangladash was created by help of india and hindu population who live there so why now so much panic and they dont have any WMD eitther poor scary indian chickens.

Blithe | 13 years ago | Reply Very pretentious of him to make such statements to begin with. I hope India learns to be less anti-neighbors, Including less anti-Kashmiri, where 700,000 of her troops are sequestering the rights of innocent Kashmiris.

Paras Vikmani | 13 years ago | Reply But 75% of Bangladesh's population are very much pro-Indian which we must not forget.

G. Din | 13 years ago | Reply He may have done the politically correct thing but there is no doubt that substantial percentage of Bangla Deshis are smitten by the radical Islam bug as in any Islamic country. The country had a morbidly anti-Indian government just before the current one. You cannot wish that fact away.

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