Political leaders in Bangladesh have been monitoring developments in West Bengal after the defeat of the Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal Assembly election.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Azizul Bari Helel said that he was “shocked” that the TMC was defeated by a wide margin after being in power for a long time.
The Information Secretary also congratulated the BJP’s victory under the leadership of Subhendu Adhikari.
“This victory of the BJP under the leadership of Subhendu Adhikari will ensure that the relations between the West Bengal and Bangladesh governments will remain cordial as before,” he said.
Helal said that the political change in the neighbouring country could take the relations between India and Bangladesh in a new direction. He said that the cordial relations between the two countries could continue and become stronger.
Helal particularly highlighted the Teesta water dispute, stating that Mamata Banerjee was opposed to setting up a Teesta barrage. “Earlier, we saw that Mamata Banerjee was the real obstacle in the way of setting up the Teesta barrage. Now, in my opinion, since the BJP has won the elections under the leadership of Subhendu, the much-desired Teesta Barrage Agreement of the Bangladesh government and the Modi government will be implemented with the help of Subhendu.” he said
He said that the path to implementing the Teesta agreement, ‘long awaited by the Bangladesh government and the Narendra Modi government’, may be smooth if a new government comes under the leadership of the BJP.
NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud, however, said that objectionable comments about Bangladesh have come from the state after the BJP government came to power in West Bengal. He urged the newly elected government not to comment on Bangladesh’s internal affairs at a press conference organised at the NCP central office.
“Bad comments are coming from West Bengal about Bangladesh, which was not the case before. The country’s political parties are enough to think about Bangladesh’s internal affairs. It is better not to talk about West Bengal.”
He also expressed concern over ‘extremists’ coming to power in the border state and said that those who were in power before did not make nasty comments like the ones in power now. He also said he was concerned about what their relationship with Bangladesh would be like in the future.
The Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Advisor Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman, however, said that West Bengal should not be considered separately and that any agreement between the two countries would be held at the state level.
