‘India Out’ campaign heats up in Bangladesh after lopsided election

DHAKA — A campaign accusing India of interference in Bangladesh politics is gaining traction, pushed by members of the Bangladeshi diaspora and embraced by some opposition circles within the country.

Bangladesh is coming off a controversial “one-sided” election earlier this month, in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League won a fourth straight term in power while the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted the polls. While the U.S. had strongly urged Dhaka to hold free and fair voting, India called the process an “internal matter.”

At the time, many pointed out India’s generally positive relations with Hasina’s government versus its rocky history with the BNP, suggesting New Delhi preferred the status quo.

Now, a social media drive against India is gaining steam, including calls to boycott Indian products. Some are using the hashtag #IndiaOut, echoing a similar movement against Indian influence in the Maldives that culminated last year in the election of President Mohamed Muizzu, who is demanding the departure of Indian military personnel by March 15 and tilting his country’s diplomacy toward China.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

A key figure in the Bangladeshi movement is exiled physician Pinaki Bhattacharya, who left the country in 2018 after allegedly facing harassment by government security forces. He launched a #BoycottIndia campaign mid-January, telling his half a million Facebook followers: “Each one of us, regardless of where we stand, is summoned to be an integral part of this monumental endeavor. Our collective resolve, fueled by unwavering determination and a profound love for our homeland, will shatter the chains that bind us.”

Thousands have responded to his call, spreading the message on social media, some with photos of Indian products crossed out.

Resentment is festering after the Awami League won 223 seats in parliament in the Jan. 7 election. The rest of the field was mostly made up of candidates plucked from the Awami League to run as independents and give the vote a competitive look, along with the Jatiya Party, which is aligned with the ruling camp.

Before the polls, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told the media, “As close friends and partners of Bangladesh, we respect the democratic process in Bangladesh and will continue to support the country’s vision of a stable, peaceful and progressive nation.”

After the results were out, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to congratulate Hasina, while Western governments were critical. Modi also congratulated “the people of Bangladesh for the successful conduct of elections.”

Hasina, meanwhile, called India a “great friend” at her post-election news conference.

The anti-India drive has begun to make inroads on Bangladesh’s domestic political scene. Gono Odhikar Parishad, a rising political party aligned with the BNP-led opposition coalition, is promoting the boycott.

“You people have seen how India interfered in our last general election,” party chief Nurul Haque Nur said last week at a rally in Dhaka. “We all have to start an ‘India Out’ campaign.”

Indian publications have taken notice, with some reporting that the BNP itself has a hand in the campaign.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, a senior joint secretary general of the BNP, denied this but made pointed comments on India.

“The BNP is vocal on Indian interference on Bangladesh internal issues, politics, and the role New Delhi played during the last general election,” the party spokesperson told Nikkei Asia. “However,” he said, “the party high-ups have not yet discussed about [calling] for boycotting Indian products or promoting an ‘India Out’ campaign.”

On Wednesday, Mir Shahe Alam, president of a BNP sub-district unit, backed the idea. “We have to boycott Indian products,” he told a meeting. “We won’t buy Indian products and also won’t let our relatives do so.”

Fans watch the Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia at the University of Dhaka on Nov. 19, 2023. 

Touhid Hossain, who served as Bangladesh’s foreign secretary under a past caretaker government, said Bangladeshis harbor deep-seated grievances against India. “Bangladeshi people expressed joy spontaneously when India lost to Australia in last Cricket World Cup,” he said. “This is actually not because of defeat in cricket, but due to severe hatred to India on many issues.”

He argued that the bilateral relationship disproportionately benefits India, and that New Delhi has emboldened the Awami League to clamp down on the opposition. “People believe that the ruling party went for the ‘arranged election’ due to the presence of Indian support,” he said.

Political and security analyst Abu Rushd said many in Bangladesh are “deeply frustrated” by India’s engagement with the ruling party since the 2014 election, which was also marred by a BNP boycott.

“This time, people expected that the Indian government would come to its senses and support the democratic process, being the largest democracy of the world,” said Rushd, who edits the Bangladesh Defence Journal. Instead, he said, India “covertly and even overtly sided with the ruling party and pressed for a phony election.”

He said that the boycott call may not be logical, in terms of economic interests, but “it surely is a prudent way to give a message” to the Indian authorities.