India’s South Asian dilemma is becoming convoluted and creating hurdles for India. The very recent emergence of the “India Out” campaign on social media, which called for boycotting Indian products with hashtags such as #IndiaOut and #BoycottIndia, has also made things tough to tackle for the Sheikh Hasina-led Government in Bangladesh. Many have viewed this boycott campaign as analogous to the Maldives episode.
This is not the first instance in which Bangladesh’s opposition has expressed its distaste for India from time to time. From Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani to the current opposition alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), they have explicitly taken stands against India.
BNP’s stance can be seen from the political lens of reviving its momentum, given its gradual decline since 2006. They have boycotted the elections of 2014 and 2024, which added to their exacerbated political position in Bangladesh. This partly perhaps be the reason for prompting and supporting the anti-India movement. Some of the BNP’s leaders, like Rahul Rizvi and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, have been extending support for the spread of such anti-India sentiments. However, it is still not the official position of the BNP as the party has not issued any official statement regarding the issue. However, there have been instances which speaks louder than words. Rizvi publicly threw away his Kashmiri shawl and urged to boycott Indian products in front of the party’s headquarters.
Juxtaposing, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has brought a good and strong track record of economic progress in the past decade. It is observed that Bangladesh by 2041 may enter into middle-income country category from the Least Developed Countries list.
Furthermore, according to the World Bank data, India’s exports to Bangladesh were estimated to be $324 million in 1991, which increased to $868 million in 1996 during BNP’s tenure. In 2001, again during BNP’s second tenure, the exports augmented to $1.06 billion and by 2006 it raised to $1.66 billion.
Throughout, it has been analysed that Bangladesh’s economic performance has increased due to its substantial trade relations with India. India’s proximity to Bangladesh has made both of them a natural and cooperative partner. The shared borders and well-connected logistical routes facilitating the movement of goods lower than the market price are some of the perks and mutual benefits both countries share. India is Bangladesh’s second largest import destination, with goods worth $13.69 billion in 2021-22.
The sectoral theme in which India dominates its exports in the Bangladeshi market is the textile industry. This is one of the pivotal sectors that drive Bangladesh’s economy. This sector heavily relies on the intermediate materials which India supplies. Aside from this, India also exports refined petroleum to Bangladesh, which is essential for crucial industries and transportation. Other include pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery, etc. The multifaceted trade relations between India and Bangladesh reflect the positive trajectory of their bilateral relations. Recently, India exported 50,000 tonnes of onion to Bangladesh ahead of Ramadan, despite the ban on the crop since December 2023. As a gesture of goodwill India has engaged in informal trade as well to stabilise the inflation in Bangladesh.
India has extended credit lines, of which Bangladesh has been a major recipient in the construction material sector for developing infrastructure, diesel locomotives, modern single- and double-decker buses, coaches, and highway duty trucks. This has increased Bangladesh’s work efficiency and capacity.
While this ‘India Out’ campaign is intensifying, it is also believed that this is a deliberate political gimmick to thwart all the ongoing negotiations on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Bangladesh.
The Awami League (AL) leaders, including Sheikh Hasina, came heavily on the supporters of anti-India campaigns and stated that if this boycott is real enough, then no items imported from India (onions, garam masala, ginger, garlic and other spices and condiments) should not be used by the households of the BNP leaders.
The champions of the ‘India Out’ campaign argue that the campaign reflects public discontent regarding not only the ruling AL’s manipulation of the recent election in its favour but also India’s silence on the democratic backsliding in Bangladesh. Activists say that India is widely perceived to have constructed the political landscape in Bangladesh, and its backing of the AL is to protect its own economic and security interests. According to them, allegedly, New Delhi has undermined Bangladesh’s democratic aspirations.
However, the educated and younger generations of Bangladesh considers development as the core of political and diplomatic activities. Their optics stress the coupling of development and economic boom in the country. Boycotting of products in the age of globalisation and commercialisation will be a foot-in-the-mouth moment for the anti-India supporters. Although, this mock of a campaign needs to be monitored. Both Governments must ensure they take each other in confidence and avoid any trust deficit across all levels. Apart from fostering trade and commerce, India and Bangladesh should consider emboldening measures to strengthen people-to-people ties and keep track of the sensationalisation of media. These steps can simmer down such misleading campaigns whose chief aim is to malign India’s image.
