KOLKATA: Significant political developments in West Bengal are expected to follow the victory of Jamaat-e-Islami candidates in most of the constituencies along the Indo-Bangladesh border in the recently held general elections in Bangladesh.
It comes at a time when the state is all set to go for Assembly polls within two and a half months. Debates are also doing the rounds if the Opposition Jamaat-E-Islami’s victory in 68 seats in Bangladesh would have an impact on the poll outcome in Bengal.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), headed by Tarique Rahman and its allies, secured over 200 seats with a two-thirds majority, while Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies secured over 70 seats.
Expressing serious concern over the political changes in the neighbouring country and its possible impact in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state legislative assembly, alleged that a serious political consolidation has emerged across the border that calls for heightened vigilance and stronger border infrastructure.
The LoP described the Siliguri corridor as a strategic lifeline connecting India's northeastern states with the mainland and asserted that any ideological consolidation in that belt would require increased alertness and robust security arrangements.
Accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in Bengal of its failure to extend full cooperation with the Central government for the land acquisition issue for border fencing, Suvendu, in his X post, alleged that the state was indifferent in matters concerning national security.
He also referred to a directive of the Calcutta High Court that asked the state to hand over land required for fencing and stated that administrative delays were unacceptable in matters concerning national security.
He also outlined several measures urging the state government to provide full cooperation with BSF for border fencing in vulnerable areas along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Bengal within a fixed time-frame, a zero-tolerance approach to infiltration, and governance focused on security rather than vote-bank politics.
He further asserted that only a double-engine government led by the BJP at both the Centre and in the state could ensure border security.
“West Bengal’s security is India’s security,” he said.