Dhaka/New Delhi, Dec 19: A fresh diplomatic rift has emerged between India and Bangladesh after senior leaders of Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP) issued provocative statements targeting India’s sensitive northeastern region, intensifying tensions ahead of Bangladesh’s February 12 general election and referendum.
At a rally in Dhaka, NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah warned that Bangladesh could provide shelter to separatist groups from India’s northeast if Dhaka believed New Delhi was interfering in its domestic politics. Referring to India’s northeastern states as the “Seven Sisters,” Abdullah said instability in Bangladesh would have cross-border repercussions. He also accused unnamed external actors of attempting to control Bangladesh decades after its independence.
NCP convener Nahid Islam echoed the confrontational tone, calling for nationwide “resistance rallies” on Bangladesh’s Victory Day and alleging Indian “hegemony” and conspiracies against the country.
The remarks drew a sharp response from New Delhi. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected the allegations outright, describing them as a “false narrative” promoted by extremist elements. The MEA said it remained committed to peace and stability in Bangladesh and reiterated its support for “free, fair, inclusive and credible elections” conducted in a peaceful environment.
India summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah to convey concerns over what it described as a deteriorating security situation in Bangladesh, particularly following protests and threats near the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. Earlier, Bangladesh had summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma, seeking cooperation in the investigation of an attack on student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, whom Dhaka believes may have been targeted by assailants with cross-border links.
Political reactions also surfaced in India’s northeast. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma warned that New Delhi would not remain silent in the face of threats to India’s territorial integrity, underlining India’s strategic and economic strength.
Analysts say the sharp rhetoric reflects deeper political currents in Bangladesh following last year’s student-led uprising and the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has since been sentenced to death in absentia. Sreeradha Datta of O.P. Jindal Global University noted that anti-Awami League sentiment has increasingly overlapped with anti-India rhetoric among some student leaders.
London-based analyst Priyajit Debsarkar said the threats could be an attempt to deflect attention from Bangladesh’s economic and governance challenges, warning that such statements risk undermining the country’s internal stability and international standing.
With Bangladesh set to elect 300 lawmakers and vote on a democratic reform package on February 12, observers caution that escalating rhetoric and political violence could complicate the interim government’s efforts—led by Muhammad Yunus—to restore order and credibility to the democratic process.
