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