According to social media and various media, most of the top leaders of the BNP Standing Committee consider the talk of a boycott of Indian products to be an expression of the social media movement and the anger of the common people.
The leaders of the party feel that the common people are angry with India's behaviour for various reasons. They called for a boycott of Indian products out of that anger. But they also claim that it is not an organized movement. Rather, it is a social movement. However, many of their leaders think that it is not right to join this movement, because what will they do if they come to power in the future?
Recently, in the meeting of BNP's standing committee in Dhaka, some top leaders of the party expressed this attitude when the discussion started on whether it would be right to join the party calling for a boycott of Indian products. The announcement of the boycott of Indian products is a party decision. If the decision is made, where did it happen? They also discussed this. We have seen in media reports recently that the BNP has expressed its solidarity with the boycott movement of Indian products by holding a press conference.
In the words of BNP leaders, the people of this country are doing this because of long-term deprivation, humiliation, discontent and anger. But what does reality tell us? Is it possible for us to boycott India? Several anti-government political parties have called for a boycott of Indian products. BNP leaders have expressed solidarity with this call. They are also active on social media. However, the BNP has not officially clarified its position on behalf of the party.
The policymakers of the party are proceeding very strategically on this matter. Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader mentioned in a meeting that the BNP now wants to destroy the country's achievements in the name of boycotting Indian products. He asked, 'Is it possible to boycott the product? The condition of Bangladesh and India, the transaction of daily necessities, and the exchange that takes place, is the proposal of such exclusion realistic or not?
They want to destroy the country's achievements in the name of boycotting Indian products.' This trend of opposition to India in Bangladesh is not new. In 1947, this British strategy of exploiting common people by dividing them by religion was a very old strategy. In this strategy, the British showed Indians as Hindus or Muslims before they became human beings. Throwing them into the colony spread a poisonous vapour of mutual dislike among us that we could not get out of for almost a century.
"In an age of scientific excellence and digital society, we are still stuck with things that are not very important to our lives, or even to the world. We have almost left out the words of progress, modernity, and humanism or are going to give them. So much progress is being made but it is time to think if we are falling further behind in terms of mentality. So, we also need to focus a little more on cultural movement activities. With the help of technology, people's thoughts and visions move from one end of the world to the other in an instant. But the blackness and bigotry of our minds did not go away and may never go away.
Whether it is Bangladesh, India, America, Sweden, or Myanmar, no one is behind. Yet we are not human, neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian nor Buddhist nor Jew. However, there seems to be no fundamental difference between fundamentalists and fanatics, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and Jews. Humanism is nothing to them, only their interests. It is better to be a saint or a good person than to pretend to be a saint or a good person. If everyone remembers this, then we too, the society, the world, and mankind would have progressed further.
The bitterness of people of two religions has always been very strong in this subcontinent of ours. All people use it when they need it. Only we common people do not understand this. Now the campaign called India Boycott is going on. We can have products from my country as opposed to Indian products. In that case, anyone can sell his product in front of the buyer as a local product. But the call to boycott the country's products is not the least ethical. There is an international tradition of how far a country's internal politics can be brought under assessment.
How much people-friendly is the country's constitution? Whether the country is being governed according to that constitution or not. Everyone saw that. We start opposing India when needed. Go to India to enjoy leisure. We like to do good shopping while visiting, we go for treatment. It may be, that there is nothing wrong with that. During our entertainment we love to watch Indian Bengali, Hindi, and other movies, during treatment, we go to India for world-class treatment at low cost, and some go to India for higher education. There is nothing wrong with them, we can take these benefits from the neighbouring country India.
Bangladesh is one of the top foreign exchange-earning countries of India. Unbelievable but true. It can be said that we are among the first few countries. In many sectors including leather, garments, automobile, and technology, we have to employ our manpower from many countries of the world including India, and Sri Lanka, at much higher salaries and spending much more dollars. We have a great shortage of skilled manpower in these sectors.
Moreover, if there is a shortfall in the import of rice, wheat, and onion for daily commodities and food, we seek India's help when the prices rise in the market. India should try its best. The yarn of our garment industry comes from India, many raw materials of the medicine industry come from India, these materials come from Europe, and America, then clothes and medicine have to be bought at 10 times higher price, then there is pressure on the dollar. Those who are asking to boycott India today, will they ever be able to boycott all these products to run the country or meet the needs of the people?
India has always stood by us, in the war of liberation, in the reconstruction of the country, in supporting the development of infrastructure, during COVID-19, and many other issues and always. India has never prevented Bangladesh from achieving its qualification. But we don't understand this simple truth. So how much success the India boycott will bring to the country will give scholars new food for thought. Awami League President Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pointed out that for those who refused to use Indian products, how many sarees do their wives have? Why don't they bring the sarees and burn them? If you burn the bride's sarees, you will understand that you have rejected the real product. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that a leader of BNP is opening the chadar and setting fire to not using Indian products.
Then again it was seen that some sheets were bought and burnt. Well, winter is gone and now what's the point of burning tea? We will tell the BNP leaders that all those who will boycott Indian products should go home and their wives should not wear any Indian saris; The day you bring all the sarees in the cupboard and burn them in front of that office, we will believe that you have boycotted Indian products. Bringing up the import of spices, onion, garlic and ginger from India, the Prime Minister also questioned whether the BNP leaders would use them in cooking. She said, 'Spices, ginger, whatever is coming, this Indian spice should not be seen in anyone's kitchen. They should be cooked and eaten with these spices. So, it's them. She also mentioned that there are some intellectuals in our country. In Bangladesh, we see extreme left and extreme right ideal people. Naturally, they do not like the democratic system’.
Many feel that the BNP is trying to add new elements to their politics. Earlier, their political program meant trying to hold a public rally on some issue at the upazila, district and divisional levels. Apart from these, holding deceiving freedom fighters’ rallies became a new topic in their political program before and after the National Parliament election. Now they start their programs by distributing leaflets and flowers. Bangladesh, which was born after the breakup of Pakistan, is no longer a bottomless basket.
Now in Bangladesh, if there is a fleet of cars in the capital, metro rail and elevated expressway, then that Bangladesh is not desired by many people. Bangladesh is considered a role model of development; it has been possible under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina. Padma Bridge with self-respect and own money. Sheikh Hasina has not only established Bangladesh as a state of advanced and unstoppable progress but has taken Bangladesh to a self-respecting status. Sheikh Hasina is moving forward on the path of fulfilling his incomplete dream as Father of the Nation Bangabandhu took forward a war-torn country.
Under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's dynamic leadership and long-term planning, achieving MDGs, implementing SDGs, launching Padma Bridge and Metrorail, education, health, gender equality, agriculture, reducing poverty line, increasing life expectancy, export-oriented industrialization, 100 special economic zones, garment industry, pharmaceutical industry, export earnings Various economic indicators have increased with growth. During the tenure of this government, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has done various development activities for the country in the last 15 years. These are not the choice of many people so if anything happens explain the opposite to the people. But the people are now very aware.
Hiren Pandit is an essayist, researcher and columnist
