भारत-बांग्लादेश में हुए समझौते रद्द कर सकती है यूनुस सरकार: मंत्री बोले- जो हमारे हित में नहीं उस पर विचार करेंगे

Sheikh Hasina visited India in June this year. During this time a rail transit agreement was signed between the two countries.

Bangladesh’s interim government’s foreign adviser Touhid Hossain on Sunday said that Dhaka may review the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed with New Delhi. He said that if the government feels that the agreements signed with India during the Sheikh Hasina government are not beneficial for Bangladesh, then these can be cancelled.

On the question of the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the foreign advisor said that if needed, the government can demand it. Sheikh Hasina visited India in June this year. During this time, 10 agreements were signed between India and Bangladesh. The most talked about among these was the rail transit agreement.

According to this agreement, India can use Bangladesh’s land to send passengers and goods from one part to another by rail. This will benefit Bangladesh in sending its goods to Nepal and Bhutan. This will save both time and cost for both countries.

10 MoUs were signed between India and Bangladesh on 22 June 2024.

Khaleda Zia’s party said- the deal is a threat to the country’s sovereignty
After the agreement with India, Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) started criticizing it. According to the Dhaka Tribune, BNP leaders started alleging that this deal could threaten Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty.

He said that the Indian government can send arms and ammunition to the North East states by train. If Indian trains enter the country, there will be a security threat. He accused the Hasina government of selling the country to India.

Hasina had said- this will benefit both the countries
After much criticism, the then PM Hasina had said that there is already a transit deal between Bangladesh and India. Indian buses go from Tripura to Kolkata via Dhaka. What harm does this cause to the country? Now, just like buses, trains will go from Tripura to Kolkata. What harm will this cause to us?

Hasina had said that this deal has been done for the welfare of the people. This will make business easier between the two countries. People go to India for studies and treatment. They will benefit.

Hasina also referred to Europe. She said that there is no border there. So has one country sold the other country? So why should we lag behind in South Asia?

On the criticism of the transit deal, Hasina had said that she would not sell the country to remain in power.

What changed after the deal?
India has banned all train services to Bangladesh since Sheikh Hasina left the country. Before the ban, trains used to run on five routes between India and Bangladesh. Of these, 3 were used for passengers and 2 for freight.

After reaching the border, the train had to enter Bangladesh only with a Bangladeshi engine. After the new deal, Indian trains can cross Bangladesh without any hindrance.

According to BBC, Tauheed Hussain, foreign advisor in the Bangladesh government, had criticized it even then. He had alleged that Bangladesh would not gain anything from this agreement.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, India pays a transit fee per tonne to Bangladesh for freight. Bangladesh Railway earned 117 crore taka (Rs 81 crore) from 982 Indian trains in 2022-23.