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After taking charge as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari has decided to expedite land transfer for the construction of a barbed wire fence along the Bangladesh-India border. Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, commented on this matter.
On Tuesday (May 12), in response to a journalist’s question at the weekly briefing in New Delhi, he stated, “Protecting border security is our priority. We view this decision from that perspective.”
However, he did not directly answer the question of whether this decision by the West Bengal government would affect Bangladesh-India bilateral relations.
Questions also arose during the briefing regarding the Teesta development project. Journalists inquired whether Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman’s recent visit to China, where he requested assistance for the implementation of the Teesta project, would impact mutual trust.
In response, Randhir Jaiswal said, “A keen eye is kept on any event, anywhere in the world. This situation is also under that observation. Mutual interests prevail in India’s relations with its neighbours.”
Earlier on Monday, the first cabinet meeting of the BJP government in West Bengal, led by Suvendu Adhikari, was held. After the meeting, he announced that his government would hand over the necessary land to the Border Security Force (BSF) within 45 days for the construction of a barbed wire fence along the international border with Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Himanta Biswa Sarma for his second term as Chief Minister in Assam, Suvendu Adhikari announced his intention to curb infiltration by following the ‘Assam model’. He stated that he wishes to leverage Himanta Biswa Sarma’s experience in border security.
On the other hand, in response to journalists’ questions on Monday regarding India’s statements and declarations, Humayun Kabir, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, said, “There is no longer any room to intimidate Bangladesh with barbed wire. The people and government of Bangladesh are not afraid of barbed wire.”
It is worth noting that the international border between West Bengal and Bangladesh spans approximately 2,216.7 kilometers. Of this, about 1,647.696 kilometers already have a barbed wire fence. It is reported that fences are yet to be constructed along the remaining approximately 569 kilometers.