Representational Image featuring map of Bharat along proposed map of greater Bangladesh
Former Chief Minister and incumbent president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jharkhand unit, Babu Lal Marandi has made sensational revelations linked to the ongoing political turmoil and rise of radical elements following the fall of the Awami league government in Bangladesh.
According to Marandi, fanatic elements based in Bangladesh are conspiring to craft a “Greater Bangladesh” encompassing bordering regions of Bharat along with the territories defining the current geographical spread of Bangladesh.
In a post shared on social media platform X, the BJP stalwart has made startling revelation citing references from a media reports which in turn has cited its source of information from intelligence agencies.
According to the claims made by Marandi, the fundamentalist after ousting Sheikh Hasina have been conspiring to create a new “Banglastan” which will include parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Assam, and Meghalaya.
Plot to create “Greater Bangladesh or Banglastan”
According to the details of the report shared by Marandi, intelligence agencies have received inputs about radical groups planning to create a Greater Bangladesh or Banglastan which is precisely a new version of their long cherished dream of crafting a Mughalstan or Muslimabad.
The report shared by Marandi claim that the social media of Bangladesh was filled with messages linked to creation of such an Islamic state following the fall of Hasina on August 5. “The supporters of Jamaat and Hefazat-e-Islam have only one demand, this time after Gazwatul Hind (war against non-Muslims) ‘Islamic Bangladesh must be achieved,” read the report.
The report further highlights that the proposed State of Banglastan will include a large portion of Jharkhand (parts of Santhal), Kishanganj and Katihar of Bihar, Rakhine and Arakan regions of Mayanmar and parts of other north-eastern states barring Arunachal, Sikkim and Nagaland. It further talks about inclusion of portion of Andaman Nicobar island and Jhapa of Nepal.
The ploy to create such a State has been hatched by radical groups who even intends to adopt Arabic and Urdu as the new language of the nation, crushing the very Bengali sentiment which led to the separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971.
Time for being cautious, says Marandi
Referring to aforementioned details, Marandi in a statement on X said “After the ousting of Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, the fundamentalists are trying to fulfil the goal of Gazwatul-Hind and Islamic Bangladesh. The situation arising in Bangladesh and the dangerous intentions of the fundamentalists are extremely sensitive for the entire country including Jharkhand.”
“The way the population of Bangladeshi Muslims has suddenly increased in Jharkhand, it seems that Congress and JMM are also engaged in fulfilling the intentions of the fundamentalist,” added Marandi while asserting that the tribal community and three and half crore resident of Jharkhand need to be alert.
Call for crafting a Union Territory
Notably, BJP Member of Parliament (MP), from Godda Lok Sabha constituency, Nishikant Dubey in a recent statement in parliament has called for crafting out a union territory by including parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar citing large scale infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals and rapid change of demography in the mentioned areas.
In his address in the parliament, the senior lawmaker of the BJP emphasised that a number of districts adjacent to the Bangladesh border such as Murshidabad, Malda, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar, Sahibganj and Pakur of Jharkhand has marred by large scale infiltrations of Bangladeshis which needs an immediate intervention of the union government given the rapid change in the demography.
He further demanded that NRC (National Register for Citizen) should be carried out in the region and the government should also look into creating a union territory including these districts if needed.
However, the demand raised by Dubey met a fierce opposition from the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leaders who while launching protest against the BJP lawmaker termed it a conspiracy to divide the state of Jharkhand.
Threat of terrorism and national security
It is worth mentioning here that the recent political upheaval in Bangladesh which is believed to has paved way for the rise of radical groups in the violence-hit nation has raised serious concerns for New Delhi, given the proximity of Bangladesh border to the strategic “Silliguri corridor”.
These concern are also fueled by influx of suspected Bangladeshi infiltrators in adjoining regions of the narrowly stretched strategic corridor vital for Bharat’s connectivity with its northern arm via land.
It is widely believed that the influx of illegal infiltration of foreign nationals in the region could lead to serious security related concerns for Bharat including possibilities pertaining to emergence of terror groups as hinted by latest reports.
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