Statements by Bangladesh portraying New Delhi negatively regrettable: India tells envoy

The Government of India will make efforts for a mutually beneficial relationship, MEA spokesperson Jaiswal noted.

India on Friday summoned Bangladesh's acting High Commissioner Nural Islam and conveyed that it is regrettable that regular statements made by Bangladesh authorities continue to "portray India negatively" by holding New Delhi responsible for internal governance issues.

The Government of India will make efforts for a mutually beneficial relationship and "we expect that Bangladesh will reciprocate similarly without vitiating the atmosphere", the Ministry of External Affairs' official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a written response to media queries on the summoning.

"The Bangladesh Acting High Commissioner to India, Mr. Md. Nural Islam, was summoned by MEA to the South Block today, February 7, 2025, at 5:00 pm," he said.

"It was conveyed that India desires a positive, constructive and mutually beneficial relationship with Bangladesh, which has been reiterated several times in recent high-level meetings.

"It is, however, regrettable that regular statements made by Bangladesh authorities continue to portray India negatively, holding us responsible for internal governance issues," Jaiswal said.

"These statements by Bangladesh are in fact responsible for the persistent negativity," he added.

Comments attributed to former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina have been made in her "individual capacity in which India has no role to play", Jaiswal said.

"Conflating this with the Government of India's position is not going to help add positivity to bilateral relations. While the Government of India will make efforts for a mutually beneficial relationship we expect that Bangladesh will reciprocate similarly without vitiating the atmosphere," he said.

Hasina, 77, has been living in India since August 5 last year after she left her country following massive protests.

Thousands of protesters set fire to the residence of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka and vandalised the houses of several Awami League leaders, as the interim government on Thursday blamed deposed premier Hasina's "provocative" speech for sparking "unintended and unexpected" violence.

In a statement on Thursday, interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ office said that the demolition of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence was "unintended and unexpected", but added that the vandalism was the "outburst of public anger created due to Hasina's provocative statements" against the July uprising from India.

"The government hopes that India will not allow its territory to be used for destabilising purposes in Bangladesh and will not allow Sheikh Hasina to speak. The interim government does not want such incidents to happen again in the future," it read.