By Ashis Biswas
KOLKATA: Even the return of Bangladesh -Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mr Tarique Rahman to Dhaka may not help in reducing present political tensions in Indo-Bangla bilateral ties. On the contrary, there is a strong possibility of a fresh eruption of poll-related violence in all likelihood to be engineered by the Jamaat e Islam (JEI) and its other allies. Their aim: to ensure the postponement of the general elections in the country on February 12.
This apprehension is not restricted only to Awami League (AL) leaders. Some senior BNP leaders have been saying much the same thing in the Bangladeshi electronic media in different programmes. With the banned AL not participating in the polls, the BNP has emerged as the strongest contender to win the elections,
The prolongation of unrest in the country would definitely delay a BNP victory and trigger further lawlessness and violence. It would also negatively impact prospects of better bilateral ties between Bangladesh and India,
In recent times, India has shown more interest than before in improving diplomatic ties with its Eastern neighbour. However, the recent ouster of Bangladeshi medium fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the coming high profile IPL cricket tournament has angered large number of sports enthusiasts in Bangladesh.
The latter are particularly upset that the Indian Cricket Board took the final decision to deprive Rahman from an opportunity to play for the popular Kolkata Knight Riders team sponsored by glamorous Indian actor Mr Shahrukh Khan. The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) disallowed Mr Rahman following angry protests from BJP supporters who hurled abuses against the KKR owner Ahahrukh Khan.
BCCI informed KKR authorities, who had earlier allowed Mr Rahman to play for a season with the Kolkata-based team, that in the present situation it would not be advisable for a Bangladeshi player to play in India. The BCCI however allowed the KKR to recruit any other player for Rs 9 crore, the amount KKR would have to pay to secure his services.
Almost immediately the Bangladesh cricket authorities, in a mirror reaction to the BCCI’s decision, announced that it would not allow any Bangladeshi to play any IPL match in India, for reasons of safety of the players at present. In a sense Bangladeshi authorities copied the BCCI’s stand.
Normally, the episode involving Mr Rahman would have been reported in some detail, given that (a) both India and Bangladesh take their cricket seriously and (b) of some amount of aggressive “needling “or provoking has somehow become factored in India vs Bangladesh matches, no matter the venue.
But such details would have been strictly carried on the sports page, as back-of-the-newspaper stuff. This has changed drastically. Nowadays, supporters of both teams behave more like typical football fans, rowdy and ruthless towards each other. Bangladeshis nowadays go out of their way to root for Pakistan .in any India vs Pakistan sports fixture anywhere in the world.
Given this backdrop, it comes as a surprise to find Bangladeshis are also angry with India for treating them at par with Pakistanis. Players from Pakistan have not been allowed by the BCCI to play in the IPL tournament for the last 2/3 years — an unhappy, and avoidable outcome of Indo-Pak political disputes over the years. And now the crafty Indians, damn them, are doing the same to Bangladeshis, who have mostly supportive of India at UNGA sessions. , say Bangladeshis.
Not unexpectedly, now there are reports in most Bangladeshi papers suggesting that the goodwill generated by the unexpected visit of Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar to Bangladesh to convey India’s condolences and respects to former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has been totally offset by the flak New Delhi has copped over the axing of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL.
Ditto India’s favourable decision, according to some reports, to export rice to Bangladesh in its hour of need. Or its recent moves to facilitate the sale of its coal to Bhutan and Bangladesh, following a simplified procedure. Or its commendable restraint in not politicising of Bangladeshi mobs lynching two more Hindus after the brutal burning of the late Dipu Das.
No one in Bangladesh doubts the importance of rice or coal in their daily life. As for the killings of six Hindus during the last 20 days, and the rape of a Hindu woman, one person was arrested for the rape and two persons were held following the death of the Hindus After all Dr Yunus has stated tie and time again that criminals were killing Hindus in Bangladesh. But that did not make them communalists did it?
Even so, when all is said and done, India’s ‘thumbs down’ on young Mustafizur cannot be seen as anything other than yet another instance of big brother India’s behaviour as a regional hegemon and must be condemned in the strongest terms.
No wonder why some Bangladesh newspapers, not to mention some of its highly promising leaders of the future like Hasnat Abdullah, are righteously angry with New Delhi. The Bangladesh Cricket Board said that this ousting of Mustafizur from KKR after a deal was a political decision reached at the highest level. The reports in New Delhi also mentioned about IPL officials not being consulted on this move by the BCCI. So this was a political decision taken in a hurry with no relationship with the sports management.
Jay Shah, son of India’s Home Minister Amit Shah now heads the International Cricket Council (ICC). Bangladesh Board is talking to the other members of ICC to take a position against the Indian Board on this Mustfijur issue. They say that India is using cricket as a political weapon which should not be allowed by the ICC. Jay Shah as the Chairman of ICC is facing lot of questioning by other members, it is learnt. (IPA Service)
Judicial Discretion, Political Optics And The Limits Of Comparison 