Dhaka: India should pay Bangladesh at least
Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore for its support to New
Delhi's anti-separatist campaign in the northeastern region, a
junior minister in the government of Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina has demanded.
"After assuming power, the present government uprooted
India's separatists from Bangladesh soil. India earlier needed
to spend nearly Rs 50,000 crore to combat them," state
minister for Liberation War affairs Tajul Islam claimed at an
academic meet on Dhaka-New Delhi ties yesterday, 'Prothom Alo'
newspaper reported.
"India should pay at least Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 15,000
crore to Bangladesh from the amount it saves annually," Islam
said.
His comments came as the premier Dhaka University along
with India's Bardhaman University and Assam University began a
two-day meet on the Bangladesh-India ties, joined by
politicians and academics of the two countries.
Islam said there was a time when Bangladeshi soil was
used to train insurgents of Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam with
assistance of Pakistani intelligence agencies.
"But these elements were evicted after our government
came to power" after the landmark 2008 general elections, he
said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, October 23, 2011, 11:23