Should India intervene in resolving the Bangladesh issue?

New Delhi: The ongoing internal strife in Bangladesh is seemingly a trap. Unlike in 1971, when India intervened militarily to help resolve the conflict, the continued civil unrest in the neighbouring country is an issue that needs to be dealt with carefully.

There is absolutely no similarity between East Pakistan of 1971 and Bangladesh of 2024. In 1971, India was sure of local support thanks to the anti-Bengali population policies of General Yahya Khan and the opportune presence of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman.

Though emotions are running high on both sides of the border, it must be understood that any action by the Indian government may escalate into a widespread mass pogrom against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. The interventions by India need to be precise and covert so as not to have any adverse effects on the Hindu community in Bangladesh.  

Even as emotions are running high, the Narendra Modi government is under intense pressure to act swiftly against the Bangladesh government and save the Hindu community from further attacks, sometimes not reacting to a situation emotionally is better than getting trapped in a conflict that may lead to a drain on resources.  

Our government has better things to do internally. From improving our economy to the betterment of social indices, the Indian government already has its hands full.

Cool heads need to prevail at the top level and calculated decisions must be taken to prevent our country from being dragged into a conflict which is not of our choosing.

A similar playbook has been seen to have been played out in the Indian subcontinent earlier as well. The Soviets were trapped by the United States in a draining and expensive war in Afghanistan when they effected a regime change of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul, sucking them into an endless and draining war, often believed to be the cause of USSR’s collapse.

With the Indian government having seemingly resolved the years-old standoff with the Chinese in the Ladakh region, it isn’t the appropriate time to get sucked into another regional conflict.    

It must be remembered that some enemies of our nation do not want us to grow and want us to get dragged into a pit of endless conflict that might drain our resources and economy.

It must be understood that there are other means which can be deployed to keep a check on the Bangladesh government. The immediate measure could be to strangle them by stopping their water and power supply. Other covert tactics may include offering support to minority communities in all forms.  

The government would do well by offering aid and sympathy to the minorities of Bangladesh, but going in and getting stuck in a military conflict is not advisable at this point in time.

Despite making a case against the direct intervention of India in the Bangladesh conflict, we must ensure that we raise our voice for Hindus in the strife-torn nation but are not drawn into an endless pit of conflict with no clear objective. Resolving Manipur should be our priority, rather than entering the swamp of Bangladeshi conflict.