Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Muhammad Yunus, chief advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government, met on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok today. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were also present. 

This is the first meeting between the two leaders since Nobel laureate Yunus took charge of Bangladesh following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government in August last year. The meeting assumes significance amid Dhaka’s growing closeness with Beijing, a development Delhi has been watching closely.

Relations between Delhi and Dhaka have taken a frosty turn since the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government was overthrown after a nationwide movement and an interim government took over. The former Prime Minister fled to India. In the months following the change of guard, India expressed concerns over reports of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Dhaka has stressed that “Bangladesh’s minorities are Bangladesh’s issue”.

Mr Yunus’ recent remarks on the Northeastern states in India stoked tensions between the two countries and drew strong responses from the region’s leaders. A video of Mr Yunus’s remarks, apparently made during his four-day trip to China, shows him saying, “The seven states of India, the eastern part of India, are called the seven sisters. They are a landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean.” He says Bangladesh is the “guardian of the ocean” for the region. “This opens up a huge possibility. This could be an extension for the Chinese economy,” he said.

Reacting to the remarks, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said what the Bangladesh leader had said was “offensive”. He stressed the need to develop more robust rail and road networks connecting the Northeast to the rest of the country.

“The statement made by Md Younis of Bangladesh so called interim Government referring to the seven sister states of Northeast India as landlocked and positioning Bangladesh as their guardian of ocean access, is offensive and strongly condemnable. This remark underscores the persistent vulnerability narrative associated with India’s strategic ‘Chicken’s Neck’ corridor.” The Chicken’s Neck Corridor is a stretch of land in West Bengal’s Siliguri which connects the region to the rest of India. Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan surround this stretch.

“Historically, even internal elements within India have dangerously suggested severing this critical passageway to isolate the Northeast from the mainland physically. Therefore, it is imperative to develop more robust railway and road networks both underneath and around the Chicken’s Neck corridor. Additionally, exploring alternative road routes connecting the Northeast to mainland India, effectively bypassing the Chicken’s Neck, should be prioritised,” Mr Sarma said.

“Though this may pose significant engineering challenges, it is achievable with determination and innovation. Such provocative statements by Md Younis must not be taken lightly, as they reflect deeper strategic considerations and longstanding agendas,” he added.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi wrote to Mr Yunus on March 26, wishing Bangladesh on its independence day. In his letter, the Prime Minister highlighted the significance of mutual sensitivity and said the Bangladesh Liberation War is a “shared history” between the two countries. “We remain committed to advancing this partnership, driven by our common aspirations for peace, stability, and prosperity, and based on mutual sensitivity to each other’s interests and concerns,” he wrote.

The Supreme Court judgment cancelling the appointment of more than 25,000 teachers and other school staff in West Bengal has sparked a massive political row, with the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Opposition BJP and CPM trading barbs. But away from this din is the silence of uncertainty that faces 25,753 sacked employees, who are wondering how to pay bills and put food on the table.

NDTV spoke to two teachers whose appointments have been cancelled. They spoke of the EMI burden, ailing parents, schoolgoing children and how the Supreme Court judgment had turned their world upside down.

Pratap Roychowdhury taught in a school in South 24 Parganas near Kolkata, till yesterday. “If a man loses his job, you can imagine how it impacts his family. There are home loans, EMIs and many people are dependent on him. Everything will be finished,” he said.

The bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar yesterday cancelled the appointments of all 25,753 teachers and other staff appointed by the West Bengal School Service Commission in 2016 for massive irregularities. “In our opinion, this is a case wherein the entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with the attempted cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair and partial redemption. The credibility and legitimacy of the selection are denuded,” the court said. 

The court said that while the untainted candidates, whose names did not come up during the investigation, need not return the salaries they received in the last eight years, they would no longer have their jobs. The court has asked the state government to repeat the selection process within three months.

Mr Roychowdhury held the state government responsible for what they are going through. Asked if he expects any help from the state government, he replied, “This government engineered this scam. What can we expect from them?”

Amit Ranjan Bhuyan taught physical science to students of Class 9 and 10. He doesn’t have a job anymore. “We studied, cracked a competitive exam and got a job. Some people resorted to corruption. It would not have been possible without the state government’s support. But those untainted like us were expecting that we would be able to continue in our jobs. This judgment has destroyed our lives. I have a nine-year-old daughter, my wife and my mother. There are EMIs, how will we look for new jobs now,” he said.

Mr Bhuyan said the state government cannot escape responsibility for the damage they have done. “Why so much corruption? The state government is responsible. But the Supreme Court should have given relief to those not involved in corruption. Why did I lose my job?”

The sacked teacher said the road ahead is very tough. “If I were 25-26, I would have cracked another exam. The confidence levels are different then. I am 39 now, which job will I be eligible for? The Supreme Court has said we can take the same exam in three months. Is it possible to crack the same competitive exam after 10 years? I do not know whether I will be able to. The judgment gave the same punishment to those involved in corruption and those not involved. I have been honest all my life, and my academics are good. This is unfair,” he said.

BJP vs Trinamool Over Teachers’ Sackings

In the aftermath of the verdict, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that opposition parties BJP and CPM had conspired to effect a collapse of Bengal’s education system. She also said she cannot accept the verdict personally, even though her government would implement it. The BJP has hit back, with party MP Sambit Patra alleging that lakhs of people are paying for the Trinamool Congress government’s corruption. “Where is Rahul Gandhi now? Where are INDI alliance partners? Didi will go to jail, surely,” he said.

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