"Bangladesh regards India as a "good friend", says Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal

Dhaka (Bangladesh), May 18 : The Deputy Speaker of the Bangladesh National Parliament, Kayser Kamal, said that Bangladesh has always considered India as a friendly country, but that friendship must be based on mutual respect. The remarks come at a time when a regime change took place in Bangladesh, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) coming to power in February.

Replying to a question about India's relation with the new government of Bangladesh, Kayser Kamal, deputy speaker of Bangladesh's Jatiya Sangsad, told ANI, "Yes, of course, both of them (Bangladesh and India) are practising a parliamentary form of government. Bangladesh always regard India as a good friend, but that friendship should be with like respect each other. It's not that, dominating to each other, with respect."

The deputy speaker stressed the need for people-centric relations between the two countries. "Relationship should be people-to-people relation, rather than person-to-person", he added.

Bangladesh approved a mega project to build a barrage on the Padma River, which Dhaka says is aimed at offsetting the "negative impact" of the Farakka Barrage.

The project, expected to be completed by 2033, was cleared earlier this week by Bangladesh's Executive Committee of the National Economic Council during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

"The people of Bangladesh welcomed the decision that has been taken by the present government. Because water is a big issue for the Bangladesh and the, if a Padma barrage is like, um, built, then people will be much more benefited", said Kamal, also a barrister.

"I think looking at the newspapers and the news agencies and everything, people has accepted with over- overwhelming thinking like, yes, we need that", the deputy speaker said.

BNP Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said the Farakka agreement should be signed with India, maintaining Bangladesh's interests.

He made the remark while addressing a discussion organised by BNP at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) auditorium here, marking the Farakka Long March Day.

"I want to convey a clear message to the Indian government that the Farakka agreement must be formulated through talks with Bangladesh, keeping its interests....the opportunity created to establish good relations with India will depend on the signing of the Ganges Water Sharing Agreement or the Farakka Agreement," he said.

Fakhrul said Bangladesh will not allow any agreement to be signed by compromising its interests. "India should come forward to renew the agreement. In this case, everything will be accomplished by protecting the interests of Bangladesh," he added.

Mentioning that the Ganga Water Sharing Agreement will expire in 2026, the minister said that in the meantime, the incumbent government's decision to build the Padma Barrage is a historic one.

The decision to build the Padma Barrage has been taken very quickly for the people's benefits, he said.

He further said the country's people should move on the basis of sovereignty and national unity. "If we are united on the issue of the motherland, no one will be able to raise their heads against the country by any conspiracy. The neighbouring country is doing injustice in the name of the Farakka Dam," he said.

Meanwhile, India continues to anchor regional stability by addressing the essential needs of its neighbours, reinforcing its role as a reliable partner in South Asia through the steady supply of agricultural and energy resources.

Beyond agricultural inputs, the MEA spokesperson on May 12 detailed India's extensive energy footprint across the subcontinent, noting that New Delhi remains a primary provider for several nations. "We have been supplying energy products to countries in the neighbourhood. We have been supplying diesel to Bangladesh through the high-speed diesel friendship pipeline that we have," Jaiswal stated.

He further noted that India has been responsive to the evolving requirements of its partners. "We also got some additional requests from Bangladesh, which we met and we are meeting. We've also been supplying energy products to Bhutan as per the existing regimen, as well as Nepal, as per the commercial agreement and the arrangement that we have presently with them," the MEA spokesperson added.

Earlier on May 5, in a move signalling a potential shift in regional dynamics, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)formally extended its congratulations to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following its electoral victory in West Bengal.

Speaking to ANI, Azizul Baree Helal, Information Secretary of the BNP, praised the BJP's performance under the leadership of Suvendu Adhikari.

"I congratulate the winner, Suvendu Adhikari's BJP party. I think this victory of the BJP, under the leadership of Suvendu Adhikari, will ensure the relationship between West Bengal and the Bangladesh government remains the same as before, in a good manner. The relationship will be built up. I congratulate the BJP's win", said Azizul Baree Helal.

The endorsement highlighted a rare moment of diplomatic optimism regarding long-standing transboundary disputes between Dhaka and Kolkata. Helal emphasised that the power shift could stabilise and enhance the bilateral rapport between Bangladesh and West Bengal.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor