World News: Amid escalating tensions between Bangladesh and India, Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, a senior leader of Bangladeshs main opposition party, the BNP, staged a dramatic protest by burning an India-made bedsheet in Rajshahi on Tuesday. The bedsheet, reportedly manufactured in Jaipur, Rajasthan, was set ablaze during a “Boycott Indian Products” demonstration.Holding the printed bedsheet aloft, Rizvi declared, “This bedsheet is from Indias Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. We are doing this to protest against Indian aggression.” He then instructed party workers to sprinkle kerosene on the bedsheet and burn it. As the bedsheet burned, demonstrators stomped on it, raising anti-India and pro-Bangladesh slogans. Rizvi further criticized Indias support for former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, stating, “Their friendship is only with Sheikh Hasina.”#Watch: #Bangladesh: After burning his wifes Indian saree, BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi now burns Jaipur textile bed sheet, calling for a ban on Indian products. pic.twitter.com/YaNGorgC2c— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) December 10, 2024Previous Protests Against Indian GoodsThis act follows Rizvis recent symbolic protests targeting Indian-made products. Last week, he publicly burned an Indian saree belonging to his wife in Dhaka. “This saree belonged to my wife, and she herself gave it for this cause,” Rizvi declared during a public address. Earlier this year, in March, he discarded an Indian-made shawl as part of a similar protest.The bedsheet-burning comes just days after protests in India, where demonstrators in Kolkatas Salt Lake area burned Bangladeshi-made Dhakai Jamdani sarees. The Bengali Hindu Suraksha Samiti organized the protest, condemning alleged atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh. Protesters called for a boycott of Bangladeshi goods and demanded an end to attacks on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.Diplomatic Engagement Amid Strained TiesAmid these rising tensions, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met top Bangladeshi officials, including interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, in Dhaka on Monday. During the meeting, Yunus urged India to address issues straining bilateral relations.Meanwhile, Misri conveyed New Delhis concerns over attacks on religious and cultural properties in Bangladesh, calling them “regrettable.” These protests, coupled with diplomatic overtures, highlight the fragile relationship between the two neighbors as they navigate sensitive cultural and political issues.
