They present themselves as viceroys while performing their duties. Therefore, it is seen that they sit with their feet in front of the minister. Or they sarcastically criticize the famous people of Bangladesh as 'so-called experts'. When the puppet dictator Sheikh Hasina, who was known for her role in India, fell in the July Revolution, the Indian diplomats who served in this country at various times started telling unbridled lies. A diplomat claimed that Dr. Muhammad Yunus has no control over this country. This country is now run by Islamic groups. The Pakistani playbook is being followed in Bangladesh. He taunted another and said that Bangladesh is playing with fire.
Bangladeshi experts say that they can make such comments because they do not see this country with dignity. In this regard, we asked Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal whether they selectively send only anti-Bangladesh diplomats to Dhaka. He did not respond.
Former High Commissioner Veena Sikri is the most vocal about anti-Bangladesh statements now. However, when Sheikh Hasina was in power, she used to express enthusiasm about the relations between the two countries.
On December 10, the country's hardline Hindutva organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organized a rally in Delhi to protest the alleged 'persecution' of minorities in Bangladesh. The BBC reported that it was threatened that ‘Indian Hindus will not tolerate this (alleged torture) for long and will not ‘sit and watch’. It was said that ‘you have shown the audacity to put a monk (ISKCON leader Chinmoy Das) in jail, you will have to get the punishment for it.’
The rally was repeatedly reminded of the help in the 1971 Liberation War. The BBC reported that there were victory cries in the name of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Akhand Bharat’. It is known to all that the Hindutva slogan ‘Akhand Bharat’ is a direct threat to the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh.
In her speech at the rally, Veena Sikri said, ‘A terrible and permanent attack is going on on the lives of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. The attacks on their lives, homes and businesses must stop.’
She has been vocal in her false propaganda against Bangladesh for a long time. In an interview with India Today on December 9, he claimed, “Dr. Muhammad Yunus really has no control and authority over Bangladesh. Bangladesh is being run by Islamic groups including Jamaat-e-Islami and Hizb-ut-Tahrir. They are now taking all the decisions. Not only Hindus, but Buddhists, Christians, and even Shias and Ahmadis are being attacked. He also claimed that ‘Pakistan’s playbook’ is now being played in Bangladesh.”
After dictator Sheikh Hasina’s dummy election last January, Veena Sikri told Russian media RT that even if BNP boycotted the election, it would not harm the legitimacy of the results. She commented on the unforgettable July Revolution as a matter of concern for India. She claims that China and Pakistan are behind this revolution. Veena Sikri served as the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh from 2003 to 2006.
Pinak Ranjan Chakraborty
Former Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakraborty is another Kati Sores. He used to spread false propaganda about Bangladesh from Dhaka. He once commented that 25,000 Bangladeshis go to India every year and never return. This comment was so untrue that the Bangladesh Hindu Parishad also strongly protested and condemned it.
Before the January 7 dummy elections in Bangladesh, Pinak commented that ‘India’s tough stance had practically forced US Ambassador Peter Haas to cover his face in Dhaka’. However, the US administration has directly rejected this statement.
From 2007 to 2009, Pinak Ranjan served as India’s High Commissioner in Dhaka. During this period, Bangladesh was ruled by the so-called caretaker government of the army-backed Fakhruddin-Moinuddin. At that time, India’s Foreign Minister was Pranab Mukherjee. It is believed that that army-backed government was blessed by India.
Many of Pinak’s comments during his time as High Commissioner in Dhaka sparked controversies. In 2009, while discussing the Tipaimukh Dam at an event on cooperation between South Asian countries, he called Bangladesh's water experts 'so-called water specialists'. He made this derogatory remark in the presence of Hasina's then Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni. Various organizations, including the BNP, demanded that Pinak be brought back to the country.
After retiring from his diplomatic service, Pinak Ranjan is active as a fellow at the Indian conservative think tank Observer Research Foundation. There, he always sided with the Awami League when speaking on Bangladesh issues.
Pinak was close to former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. And Pranab was the main figure in India's interference in Bangladeshi politics since the One-Eleven era. He wrote openly about India's control over Bangladeshi politics in his book 'The Coalition Years'. In February 2008, Army Chief General Moin E.U Ahmed visited India. He met with Pranab Mukherjee at that time. In his book ‘The Coalition Years’, Pranab Mukherjee wrote that in that meeting, the Bangladesh Army Chief asked him for a job guarantee.
Pankaj Saran
Pankaj Saran is one of the other Indian High Commissioners who are making anti-Bangladesh statements.
In an interview given to the country’s Economic Times on September 19, he said, ‘I believe that an open policy towards India is beneficial for the Bangladesh economy. But if Bangladesh closes its country to India, it will be harmful for the Bangladesh economy.’
He claims that ordinary students lost control in the July mass uprising and political opponents hijacked it and gradually turned it into the Hasina Hatao movement.
In the interview, he claimed, ‘Historically, there has always been activity by foreign powers inside Bangladesh, which started in ’71, ’75. So at different times in history, Americans, Pakistanis, Chinese and of course we (Indians) have been active inside Bangladesh. The main reason for this is the weakness of their own institutions and it is a small country, which is open to foreign influence. Many times Bangladeshis have invited foreign powers into their country. They have invited Indians, Americans, Chinese and Pakistanis. So Bangladeshis cannot be free from responsibility for Bangladesh becoming a playground for foreign powers.’
Pankaj Saran threatened Bangladesh in an interview, saying, ‘Bangladesh is playing with fire.’ He said, ‘If you look at their so-called interim management, there are students with all kinds of political-internal-foreign connections, there are BNP members and sympathizers, there are Jamaat members and sympathizers. If they want to explain their position by being anti-India, then they are in danger.’
He said, ‘If what is being done today is to teach India a lesson, then I think they (Bangladeshis) are making a mistake. I have no doubt that they are harming themselves more than India.’
Like Veena Sikri, he claimed, ‘I am not sure whether anyone has control over the institutions or structures of the state.…These are not good signs. And if you want to play with the people responsible for terrorism, they will come to hurt you. We saw from 2001 to 2006, they (Bangladesh) were with the terrorists. The (Bangladesh) government was with the terrorists through the ISI (Pakistani intelligence agency).’
Pankaj Saran, who served as India’s High Commissioner to the country from 2012 to 2015, claimed, ‘There is no rule of law there now. If you have even the slightest connection with the previous administration (Hasina government), you will be imprisoned no matter who you are.’
Pankaj Saran has indirectly incited a military coup in Bangladesh. He said, ‘They (Bangladeshis) understand that the situation is getting out of their control day by day. They do not want to see a failed state in their own hands, nor will they take any responsibility for it. That is why they want at least law and order to be in order and the military is now the only effective institution in the country. Even before this, they were under military dictatorship for years.’
Expert opinion
When asked about these issues, renowned political scientist Professor Dilara Chowdhury told Amar Desh that it is not only former Indian diplomats who are saying such things. The country’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also said the same thing. In fact, they have no respect for Bangladesh. He said that the negative things that Indian dignitaries are saying immediately after the change of government in Bangladesh are an obstacle to the development of relations. They should speak thoughtfully. India says that they want to develop people-centered relations. If that is what you want, you should not say such absurd things.
Security analyst Professor Shahiduzzaman told Amar Desh, 'Vina Sikri is a madman and a liar. Sheikh Hasina and Veena Sikri are of the same character. Veena Sikri and the country's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval are international terrorists. They are mentally deformed.'
Severely criticizing Veena Sikri's statement, he said, "What does it matter to them whether Bangladesh is run by Jamaat-e-Islami or some other party? They do not talk about their terrorist organization RSS." Criticizing Pinak Ranjan's statement, he said, "He is talking nonsense after taking money from the Awami League."
According to this analyst, they are bringing danger to themselves with their misinformation. This will only benefit us. Professor Shahiduzzaman said, "If Bangladesh's foreign policy was not spineless, Veena Sikri would not have dared to say so much." Our Foreign Ministry does not have a counter propaganda cell.
India did not respond
We emailed the spokesperson of the country's Foreign Ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, to find out the reason for the anti-Bangladesh statements made by former Indian diplomats. The question was sent to the email last Tuesday. The Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pranay Verma, was also given a copy of our email. However, they did not respond to it till 9 pm yesterday, Wednesday.
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