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Published : 11 Jun 2025, 08:45 PM
Senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has likened the recent surge in cross-border push-ins to stepping on someone’s foot to start a fight -- a “deliberate provocation” by India.
He linked the wave of forced repatriations to what he described as “growing hostility” from the neighbouring country, possibly fuelled by resentment over the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
He questioned the motive behind the alleged actions. “Why this sudden turn? Is it because Hasina is no longer in power that they’ve become more aggressive?”
Speaking at the BNP’s Naya Paltan office on Wednesday afternoon, the senior joint secretary general claimed that push-ins were now occurring almost daily across different border points including Thakurgaon, Moulvibazar, Kurigram and Satkhira -- with groups of 20 to 50 people being sent across at a time.
Rizvi said: “It seems as if someone is deliberately trying to provoke a confrontation-- that’s the question now being asked across the country, even among the international community.
“Why this sudden spree of push-ins?”
Taking aim at the Assam chief minister, Rizvi said Bangladesh is being treated like a “dumping ground”.
“Their words and behaviour reek of arrogance,” he added.
“You’re a sovereign country. So are we,” the BNP leader said. “But if you continue provoking us by declaring your citizens as foreigners and sending them across the border, our response will not stop at protest -- there will be resistance.”
Rizvi also criticised the interim government over what he called a lack of urgency in tackling the rising spread of COVID-19 and dengue.
District hospitals remain unequipped, he said, particularly in Barishal Division, where COVID patients from Patuakhali and Barguna are being shifted to Barishal Medical College Hospital for treatment.
“Patuakhali and Barguna are district towns. Why don’t they have adequate government facilities? After the devastating wave of COVID a few years ago that killed so many, the government should not have remained idle.”
On the latest COVID-19 cases uptick, Rizvi said: “This fresh wave doesn’t look like a good sign at all. The government and health ministry must act immediately.”
“We’ve seen no awareness campaign, no protective measures. The government must fulfil its duty to ensure public safety.”
He also flagged the spread of dengue as a serious concern, pointing to its growing intensity across Barishal Division.
