India doesn’t want tiff with Bangladesh: Rajnath Singh

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has cleared that India does not want a rift with Bangladesh.

Singh gave his take on the India-Bangladesh tiff in an exclusive conversation with Network18 group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi.

During the conversation, Singh made it clear that New Delhi does not seek ’tense relations’ with Bangladesh.

He, however, said Bangladesh’s Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to “watch his words."

“India can handle any kind of challenge, though we aim to maintain good relations with our neighbours,” he added.

Since taking charge as the chief adviser to the interim government formed after the July 2024 movement, the relationship between Dr. Muhammad Yunus and the Indian central government has been somewhat strained. Analysts believe that recent events have further increased the tension.

Recently, in Dhaka, Dr. Yunus met with General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CGCSC) of the Pakistani army, and a five-member delegation from the Turkish Parliament. India's diplomatic relations with both Turkey and Pakistan are currently in a sour state.

The Turkish delegation was led by Member of Parliament Mehmet Akif Yilmaz. After the meeting, Dr. Yunus presented them with a book named 'Art of Triumph', which is a compilation of the July-August 2024 movement.

However, Indian media outlet News 18 claimed that the compilation included a map named 'Greater Bangladesh', which shows the Indian state of Assam as part of Bangladesh. According to the media outlet, the book also mentions the Assam occupation plan and the post-war administrative structure.