BNP lawmaker asks govt to take steps to rein in West Bengal chief minister
Taking part in the discussion on the proposed national budget for FY2026–27 in parliament, Siraj says he was making a respectful appeal to the Modi government through the speaker.
BNP lawmaker Golam Mohammad Siraj today (22 June) urged the Indian government to restrain West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari over what he described as anti-Bangladesh remarks that are harming relations between the two neighbouring countries.
Taking part in the discussion on the proposed national budget for FY2026–27 in parliament, Siraj said he was making a respectful appeal to the Modi government through the speaker.
"Through you, Honourable Speaker, I would like to call upon the Modi government to stop Suvendu Babu. The anti-Bangladesh statements he occasionally makes have become an obstacle to India-Bangladesh friendship," he said.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Siraj also said Sheikh Hasina is no longer relevant to Bangladesh's political landscape.
"Sheikh Hasina is irrelevant here. We have no concerns about her. She is no longer in Bangladesh and is out of the scene," he said.
Referring to Bangladesh's maritime boundary victory in 2014, Siraj said the achievement had been widely celebrated, but the country had failed to extract resources from the sea.
"To utilise those resources, we could not proceed without the approval and goodwill of our so-called masters," he remarked.
Highlighting the offshore bidding process, Siraj said the present government had taken a major step forward in this regard and had done so without seeking anyone's permission.
He stressed the importance of maintaining a friendly and respectful relationship between Bangladesh and India, noting that geography makes the relationship unavoidable.
"I believe India is our neighbour. Friendships may be temporary, and even marriages can end in divorce. But Bangladesh and India cannot divorce each other as neighbours. Neither India nor Bangladesh can deny that reality," he said.
Siraj also referred to remarks made by India's new High Commissioner to Bangladesh, who recently said that the two countries share "the same sky and the same air".
Amid what he described as growing controversy on social media, the BNP MP called for stronger people-to-people ties between the citizens of Bangladesh and India.
"Let us win people's hearts. Let us build heart-to-heart relations between the people of India and Bangladesh. We do not want anti-India or anti-Bangladesh sentiments. We want peaceful coexistence," he said.
He also urged the Indian government to stop alleged push-ins across the border and called for the closure of drug-manufacturing facilities operating near the frontier.
