Petrapole (WB): West Bengal’s Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Monday threatened the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh of imposing an “indefinite export embargo” through the state’s land borders if the neighbouring country failed to reign in sustained attacks on minority Hindus and their institutions.
Speaking at a protest meeting organized by an apolitical organization of monks, the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti, at the Petrapole international land border in North 24 Parganas district where Adhikari participated alongside several other BJP leaders of the district, albeit without their party insignias, the LoP declared that “trade restrictions to Bangladesh would be tightened in phases crippling the country’s dependence on essential commodities from India.”
Commodity trading across the Petrapole border remained suspended for 24 hours starting at 6 am on Monday to protest the alleged persecution of Indians and minority Hindus on the other side of the barbed wire fence with businessmen at the border responding to a call for trade stoppage by the protesters, led mainly by Bangiya Hindu Samiti, another organization.
“The 24-hour suspension of trade was just a trailer of what’s going to happen next,” Adhikari said, “If the attacks on Hindus and their religious establishments do not stop by next week, we will impose a five-day trade embargo. After the beginning of next year, we will stop trade for an indefinite period. We will see how the people there live without our potatoes and onions.”
The protest programme was organised in demand for release of arrested former ISKCON monk Chinmay Krishna Das and immediate stoppage of attacks and persecution on Hindu minorities and their institutions.
“India is not just another country. It is the world’s fourth largest economy under the leadership of PM Modi,” Adhikari claimed, adding, “If they dishonour our flag we will force the new sons of Rajakars (pro-Pakistan people’s militia) in Bangladesh to surrender like we did in 1971 when we brought the Pakistani military to its knees.”
Adhikari, accompanied by BJP leaders and local MLAs Swapan Majumdar, Ashok Kirtania and Arjun Singh, later marched on foot to the Petrapole ‘Zero Point’ where he released balloons as a symbolic gesture of protest demanding the unconditional release of the arrested Hindu monk in Bangladesh and strict government action against the torturers of minorities.
Protests were also held at the Immigration Office of the border’s passenger terminal.
A delegation of protestors, led by Adhikari, later held a meeting with the officials of Land Port Authority of India at the Petrapole cross-over point.
“This is not a momentary protest. We will organise similar protests at various other land borders in Bengal like in Hili and Changrabandha. This is not a party programme. We are trying to involve Hindus from across political lines,” Adhikari told reporters.
