NEW DELHI: Bangladesh National Party (BNP) has been propogating an ‘India Out’ campaign for some time and has been asking people to boycott Indian products. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has lashed out at BNP for propagating this campaign.
Challenging BNP, Sheikh Hasina sarcastically said, “Why they don't burn their wives' Indian sarees", not use Indian spices in the kitchen.”
This social media campaign against India surfaced on social media in January after their general elections.
“How many Indian saris do their (BNP) wives have?,” PM Hasina said at an event organised on their Independence Day on March 26th.
“When they burn their wives' Indian saris in front of their party office, only then they will prove that they are truly committed,” she said making the audience laugh.
After Maldives, Bangladesh is the second country where the opposition took up the ‘India Out’ campaign.
Meanwhile, taking Sheikh Hasina’s stance of lashing out at the India Out campaigners, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Dr Hasan Mahmud, spoke about the usage of Indian products.
“They (BNP) eat food made with Indian onions, Sehri with Indian beef at night and wives wearing Indian saris when they go out. Which contradicts the call of Indian product boycotts.”
Dr Mahmud criticized the BNP’s political stance stating that the actions do not benefit the country. He also said that the country’s image gets reflected badly overseas when such campaigns are run.
India is the biggest trading partner of Bangladesh, in numerous industries. The relationship between both countries is marked by shared interdependence, as Bangladesh depends on India for essential imports including raw materials, machinery, and agricultural goods. At the same time, India gains from Bangladesh’s exports of garments, textiles, and medicines. Therefore, the implementation of the “India-Out” campaign requires strong support from citizens.
Meanwhile, according to sources, PM Hasina is expected to visit Delhi in June after the conclusion of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. PM Hasina has probably been sent an official communique to make it convenient to visit India.