Bangladesh expects no ‘pushbacks’ from India after BJP win in West Bengal, Assam: Minister

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday said he hopes no citizens will be forcibly repatriated following the BJP’s significant win in the recent assembly elections in the neighbouring Indian state.

“I hope no such incident (pushbacks) will happen,” Ahmed told reporters when asked if he feared a rise in cases of people suspected to be illegal immigrants being pushed back from India.

Despite this, Ahmed said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been instructed to remain on high “vigilance” along the international border. His remarks follow a statement by Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, shared on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s official Facebook page, asserting that Dhaka would intervene if any “push-in” attempts occur during the political transition in West Bengal.

On Monday, election results showed a landslide victory for the BJP in West Bengal. During the campaign, the party repeatedly alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led government allowed undocumented migration from Bangladesh into the state, a claim she consistently denied. The BJP also secured a third consecutive term in neighbouring Assam.

The term “pushback” typically refers to the forced return of individuals suspected to be illegal migrants, while receiving countries often describe such actions as “push-ins.” In recent years, such disputes between India and Bangladesh have largely centred on border areas in several northeastern states.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Junior Foreign Minister Shama Obaed Islam said the election results would not affect the country’s foreign policy towards India.

“In any country, foreign policy is determined by national interest. In our case, we have said many times—and we reiterate—that our policy is ‘Bangladesh First’. Regardless of which government is in power in another country, our foreign policy does not change,” Islam said.

She added that the elections in India are an internal matter. “As a democratic country, Bangladesh has long emphasised the importance of democratic governance. We would like to see democracy strengthened not only in our country but across the region, including India,” she said.

Islam also expressed hope that India would soon resume issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshi citizens. “Our discussions with the Indian side indicate that tourist visas may be reopened soon,” she said, adding that currently only medical and emergency visas are being processed.

On the Ganga Water Sharing Agreement, which is set to expire later this year, Islam said she remains optimistic about its renewal. “We will hold discussions on this. I am very hopeful. Our Ministry of Water Resources will work closely with India on the matter,” she said.