Bangladesh Islami Front calls for closer Delhi-Dhaka ties, rejects 'India Out' social media campaign
- Earlier, led by medical professional Pinaki Bhattacharya – describes himself as an exiled blogger, online activist and human rights defender – called for the boycott of Indian goods following the results of the elections through 'India Out' campaign.
Bangladesh's far-right political party Bangladesh Islami Front has completely rejected a recent 'India Out' social media campaign in the country, reported news agency ANI on 20 February.
Hitting out at the online campaign, SUM Abdus Samad, the Secretary General of the Bangladesh Islami Front, on Tuesday said it was driven by hard-line elements who spread hate and misinformation.
The campaign has sharpened after Sheikh Hasina won a record fourth term in the recently concluded national elections. The Islami front is a small independent party that had put up 37 candidates in the recently concluded polls.
Abdus Samad said cordial ties are crucial for both the neighboring countries as he highlighted the increased connectivity in recent years.
"There has been misinformation there since the beginning that India brought a lot of stuff from Bangladesh in 1971 and also did brutal acts. This kind of misinformation is there. So it is a must for India to show that we are not against Bangladesh, but we are friends", ANI quoted Samad as saying.
Earlier, led by medical professional Pinaki Bhattacharya -- describes himself as an exiled blogger, online activist, and human rights defender -- called for the boycott of Indian goods following the results of the elections through the 'India Out' campaign.
According to details, Bhattacharya's social media followers claim that the movement is fuelled by the Indian government's unilateral support for Sheikh Hasina's administration in Bangladesh. They allege the elections in Bangladesh were neither free nor fair.
A report by the Digital Forensics and Research and Analytics Centre reveals that the trend of boycotts on social media does not appear natural.
"A closer examination of this trend reveals that the group that began this campaign has always been engaged in anti-India activities in Bangladesh. Several users among them, are either indirectly associated with the political parties of Bangladesh (mainly BNP), or claim to be their supporters", said the DFRAC report.
D-FRAC is a non-partisan and independent media organization that focuses on fact-checking and identifying hate speech.
Support for Sheikh Hasina:
Meanwhile, Abdus Samad praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He reiterated Bangladesh has been witnessing rapid growth and development for several years under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"Since the Sheikh Hasina government came into power, there has been a growth in Bangladesh's development. In 10-20 years, the development in Dhaka, Chittagong which we see now - if one knows about the suffering before - seeing it presently, it won't be recognizable now," Samad said.
He also stressed the continuous improvement in people-to-people contact and connectivity between India and Bangladesh.
"There is now train connectivity from Akhaura... Akhaura- Brahmanbaria. Trade is also happening from river fronts to Assam and Tripura. The connectivity has increased. Items are also being exported and imported to Chittagong port. There is connectivity in Ramgarh as well", said S U M Abdus Samad.
With agency inputs.
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