Thursday, 28 March, 2024, 4:49 PM
Advance Search
Home

A drawer full of BJP Bluff Cards

Published : Sunday, 30 August, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 898

A drawer full of BJP Bluff Cards

A drawer full of BJP Bluff Cards

My mind is full of boxes and drawers. I open them conveniently, whenever needed before penning an opinion. However, the bottommost drawer is labelled "Modi & BJP".

I rarely open it, since the contents inside that drawer infuriates me - with or without a reason. At times it feels like the lifeless information stored in there are all venomous snakes, waiting for the opportune moment to bite. And given the sheer reluctance to pen this piece, just yesterday I opened it.

To my utter surprise, no sooner had I opened it, I found it filled with all the Bluff cards played on us by the Modi regime.

There I found the  ' Hindutva card' , 'Teesta card', 'Vaccine card', 'NRC card', 'CAB card' to 'used locomotive card' and god knows what more cards will be played in the near future. Someone in my absence-of-mind had surely crept in, and stolen the trump card or cards, if there were any at all.

The point, however, our government's latest decision to finally go with the human trial of the Chinese made Covid-19 vaccine is likely to ruffle myriad feathers in Delhi.

Though it's tricky to predict the Chinese vaccine's final outcome, but China has surely taken a risk.  It couldn't have been taken without trying and testing the experimental vaccine's effectiveness. If proven successful, I fear there will be little room left for the Indian vaccine to enter Bangladesh.  The India- China vaccine battle to conquer our health sector will be an absorbing event to follow where China has taken the lead.

Whatsoever, Modi's vaccine card was actually a weak one orchestrated by the BJP leadership, and especially when there are so many contending developed countries with advanced scientific medical technologies ahead of India. 

Of all the bluff cards played with Bangladesh in the past six years, now is perhaps the best time for the Modi led BJP leadership to calculate losses and gains of those cards. By the way, most of the cards were actually played in the past couple of years.
On the topic of the CAA card - it is time to remind the BJP when its officials had voiced the most offensive words against Bangladesh while pushing for the discriminatory bill. Home Minister Amit Shah clearly referred to 'illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators' as "termites", while BJP's West Bengal President, Dilip Ghosh, continues to reaffirm that some '10 million illegal Bangladeshis will be sent back.' And where do the BJP political leadership plans to deport these 'illegal Bangladeshis', if not to neighbouring Bangladesh?

As much as in the centre, BJP led extreme ideologists have also set their strongholds in West Bengal too. There the party alone has dramatically increased its vote share close to 40 percent, and the 2021 Lok Sabha elections are not far. At least Bangladesh has all the right reasons to turn fearful of a West Bengal under a BJP leadership.

The 'Teesta card' has surely become a spent force.

While five of our northern districts turn to powerless victims of a manmade water disaster during dry seasons - with no guarantee offered by the Indian side so far- for how long would you expect Bangladesh to bleed in silence?
Let's not get into the details of all the BJP bluff cards played on us, rather ask a pertinent question - has Modi begun to inject his extreme and populist political creed in India's foreign policy, targeting Bangladesh?
It surely has, and it became evident way back in the latter half in 2017, following the Rohingya Crisis now worsening by the hour. As India kept silent, our government had acted accordingly by keeping mum on Kashmir, CAA and NRC issues.  Countering of the bluffs had actually begun much earlier.
For many Indians it may seem Bangladesh to be seeking revenge over hollow promises. Even then it will be stupid to think that Bangladesh is growing increasingly anti - Indian. The message in short: Turning anti BJP is not equivalent of turning anti - India. It has manifestly been the Modi led BJP government that is pushing Dhaka closer to Beijing.

Islamabad and Kathmandu had engaged in a bitter war of maps with India long ago but, Dhaka as of now is focused to purely strengthen its strategic and economic ties with Beijing.

As the drama kept shifting from one act to another, the Indian government decided to replace its high commissioner to Dhaka with a far 'able' candidate. A number of media reports have even described the new Indian High Commissioner designate to Dhaka as a 'Wolf diplomat'.

For those who are unaware of this type of diplomacy, wolf warrior diplomacy describes an aggressive style of diplomacy purported to be adopted by Chinese diplomats in this century. The term was coined from a Rambo-style Chinese action movie, "Wolf Warrior".

Not that the outgoing Indian envoy, Riva Ganguly Das hadn't pursued the China taught aggressive form of diplomacy here - but her warrior-like strategy had ultimately turned her into a failed werewolf. It won't be stupid to assume, the new appointment is about replacing one failed wolf with another more capable wolf. Whatever wolf, the strategy suits the Chinese best, given their practicality, approach and strength.

The BJP's imitation of the Chinese technique actually reminds me more of the wolf described in the "Little Red Riding Hood".

Diplomatic or bilateral-ties are not too diverse from card games; you bluff, fold or win big. It is actually all about how intelligently you play the game. As it goes with the strategies of the game, be careful on how you play your Bluff when you have a Queen at hand.

Modi's excessive playing of the Cheat game (where the players aim to get rid of all of their cards in a game of pure deception) has suddenly collapsed inconclusively. The loser in such card game is posed with a massive challenge to pick up every card played so far. Bangladesh is left with no more to pick.
No wonder, how I found so many bluff cards in the bottommost drawer.
The billion dollar question, has Bangladesh begun to play BJP's bluff game, what BJP played with Bangladesh for too long?
The writer is Assistant Editor,
The Daily Observer









Latest News
Most Read News
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: info©dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
  [ABOUT US]     [CONTACT US]   [AD RATE]   Developed & Maintenance by i2soft