Bangladesh's instability affects India: Tripura CM

Agartala, March 27 (IANS) If there is any turmoil in Bangladesh, it also affects India's peace, stability and integrity, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said.

"If there is chaos and trouble in neighbouring Bangladesh, these also affect India's peace, stability and integrity," Sarkar said during his address at the Bangladesh Independence Day and National Day celebrations organised by the Bangladesh diplomatic mission here on Thursday night.

He said: "Those unhappy at the creation of Bangladesh as a sovereign nation are conspiring against the internal normal democratic process of that country. International fascist forces are backing these conspirators."

Sarkar said those who oppose Bangladesh's freedom even assassinated Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman (on August 15, 1975). "The assassination was an international conspiracy too."

"The assassination of Bangabandhu was not possible without help from internal forces of Bangladesh," he said.

"After Bangabandhu's assassination, attempts continued to keep Bangladesh unstable. An uncertainty always gripped the minds of people of that country. To come out from this situation, the present Bangladesh government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is trying its best."

Sarkar, a politburo member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, said that despite an unfavourable situation, the Hasina government was working for Bangladesh's development and maintaining cordial relations among the people.

"We always want a peaceful and developed Bangladesh for the interest of our country."

Speaking at the function, Bangladesh mission chief in Agartala Mohammad Obaidur Rahman said that the people of Tripura helped a lot during the nine-month-long liberation war of Bangladesh.

"We expect that the people of Tripura would continue their support to build a violence-free, stable and peaceful Bangladesh," Rahman said.

Bangladesh Independence Day and National Day was celebrated here on Thursday with numerous colourful functions.

The main function was held at Agartala's Bangladesh mission - the only diplomatic mission and visa office in northeast India.

Artists, including singers from both Bangladesh and India, performed at the event.

Local people and various groups also organised functions in many places across the state, which shares a 856-km border with Bangladesh - the longest international boundary after West Bengal.

The Liberation War began on March 26, 1971 with a huge public rally addressed by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in Dhaka who condemned the then West Pakistani rulers and called for an independent Bangladesh. This later turned into a full-scale India-Pakistan war, leading to the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers in Dhaka on December 16, 1971 and the creation of Bangladesh from what was then East Pakistan.

India was the first country to recognise Bangladesh as a sovereign nation.

According to Bangladeshi freedom fighters and experts, Pakistani forces during the nine months of the Liberation War massacred over three million Bengali-speaking people, including children, and raped over six lakh women.

Over one crore families were uprooted from their homes and land during that period.