Days after India imposed a series of severe measures against Pakistan in response to the terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir's Pahalgam district that killed 26 tourists, key political figures and parties in Northeast India have called for similar action against Bangladesh, amid concerns over infiltration and its increased interaction with Pakistan.
The first to sound alarm bells was Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who last week said authorities have been alerted about the close ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Days later on Sunday, Bharatiya Janata Party (MP) Nishikant Dubey called for a similar action on the eastern front.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Dubey said: "Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is in constant touch with Bangladesh's interim government. To stop the terror infiltration, both India and Bangladesh's borders need to be secured. The agreement for the waters of the Ganga was wrong by the then Congress government in 1996."
He added: "Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been saying it constantly. The West Bengal Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) opposed the Teesta Water Agreement. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is not in favour of the water of the Brahmaputra going into Bangladesh. How long will we provide water to snakes? It is time to crush the snakes. The entire nation has faith in the PM and the Home Minister. This work will be done soon..."
The BJP MP from Godda in Jharkhand was referring to the Ganga Water Treaty that was signed between India and Bangladesh in 1996. His comments also came against the backdrop of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty that it had signed with Pakistan in 1960, following the terror attack.
WHAT IS THE GANGA WATER TREATY?
Just like the Indus Waters Treaty lays down the mechanism for sharing water of the Indus and its tributaries between India and Pakistan, the Ganga Water Treaty is an agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Ganga river between India and Bangladesh.
The treaty guarantees 35,000 cusecs of water to Bangladesh if the water flow is around 70,000-75,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs), and divides the water equally if the flow falls below 70,000 cusecs.
The treaty, signed in 1996, is scheduled for renewal in 2026, after 30 years. A team from Bangladesh visited West Bengal earlier this year for a field visit to the Farakka Barrage ahead of talks on the issue.
India has its own interests when it comes to the waters and often, it is because of these treaties why India was never able to make full use of the potential of the river waters. For India, the Farakka Barrage is critical for the Hooghly River system and West Bengal as it feeds the tributary of the Ganga, the Hooghly River which services the Kolkata and the Haldia ports as well.
WHY IS THE ASSAM CHIEF MINISTER WORRIED ABOUT BANGLADESH?
On Sunday, Mr Sarma said India must act against Bangladesh, the way it did with Pakistan, amid concerns over cross-border infiltration.
"I think India should take a tough action against Bangladesh and I am sure these measures are under consideration by the Government of India. But these are strategic decisions, and we should not go beyond a point," he said.
"As a Chief Minister, we can request but a decision will be taken by the Government of India after considering the entire security aspect of whether you can take on both Pakistan and Bangladesh at a time or whether you take them on one by one, that is a decision to be taken by the central government. But I also share the same sentiment of other political leaders of the Northeast region who have demanded tough action against Bangladesh," he added.
Earlier, the Chief Minister said: "We are also concerned about Bangladesh and the recent hobnobbing between Bangladesh and Pakistan. So, we have alerted our security agencies and asked them to maintain strict vigil and be aware of what is going on across the border."
WHAT ARE BJP ALLIES IN THE NORTHEAST SAYING?
Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarman, whose party is an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura, said: "Bangladesh and Pakistan will try to surround India, one from the western side and one from the eastern side. I completely support the Government of India. A horrific incident has happened in Pahalgam, and the Government of India has reacted."
He added: ""The Government of India should also react when the same thing happens in east India because we are as much Indians, proud Indians. The behaviour of Bangladesh towards India and the behaviour of Pakistan should be dealt with in the same way... we want the Government of India to be as strong with Pakistan and Bangladesh."
In a post on X, Mr Debbarman flagged the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh to India through the Northeast Indian region.
"Illegal Bangladeshis are entering every day! For every five people apprehended, 1,000 get away because of the terrain and porous border. Tripura is going through a demographic change once again! Both Assam and Tripura and parts of Meghalaya have become transit points for illegal migration to the Northeast and rest of India. The Indigenous Tribes that are asking for land rights here are doing so because we know sooner than later, we will be overrun by illegal migration. Can we expect justice and attention from the rest of India? Our boys know the area and if given the support, will defend our land and kick out illegal Bangladeshis from entering our country."
WHY SHOULD INDIA BE WORRIED ABOUT BANGLADESH?
Recently, Bangladesh recently called for stronger ties with Pakistan and hardline Islamic radicals and terror-accused have been released from prison. These anti-India voices have also allegedly held meetings with members of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus.
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed, highlighted one such meeting on X. The post features photographs of Harun Izhar, a hardcore militant and decades-old Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) operative, meeting Law Adviser Nazrul reportedly in the Law Ministry's offices.
Izhar has known links to Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has carried out several attacks on India, including the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
