Concerns have deepened after Friday’s Bangladesh poll results showed hardliner Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies winning many of their 68 seats in areas bordering India. The total tally is Jamaat’s highest in over 25 years.
Jamaat’s historical and ideological proximity with Pakistan raises the risks for India, a peril flagged by BJP. The saffron party had bagged in 2021 more than 16 Bengal assembly constituencies that share borders with the areas of Bangladesh where Jamaat has made inroads. “Bangladesh is a different country. We expect the newly formed govt to maintain law and order and ensure minorities will not be persecuted. But Jamaat’s victory along the border is worrying. It clearly shows there has been strong radicalisation on both sides of the border,” Union minister Sukanta Majumdar of BJP said.
