Dhaka, Bangladesh
A senior leader from Bangladesh’s opposition BNP party held a ‘Boycott Indian Products’ programme Tuesday (Dec 10) during which he also burned an India-made bedsheet. Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, who is a senior joint secretary general of the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party), set the bed sheet made in India’s Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan state.
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Rizvi declared, “This bedsheet is from India's Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. This bedsheet made by Jaipur Textile... We are doing this to protest against Indian aggression." He later threw the bed sheet on the road, put kerosene on it and set it on fire. The scene unfolded in the Bangladeshi city of Rajshahi as the crowd chanted slogans against India and in favour of their government.
BNP Leader Rizvi Sets Jaipur Bedsheets and Indian Saree Ablaze in Protest Against Indian Goods
BNP’s Ruhul Kabir Rizvi takes his protest against Indian products to a new level, burning his wife’s Indian saree and Jaipur bedsheets. Calls for a nationwide boycott of Indian goods.… pic.twitter.com/0FhiJnVTAd
— Sneha Mordani (@snehamordani) December 10, 2024
The development comes amidst escalating tensions between the two neighbours, owing to increasing attacks against minority communities, especially Hindus.
"We are boycotting Indian products because they are not suitable for the people of this country. Their friendship is only with Sheikh Hasina," Rizvi added.
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The senior BNP leader last week set an India-made saree on fire to voice his opposition to alleged disrespect shown towards the Bangladeshi flag in India. "This is the Indian saree. It belonged to my wife, and she herself gave it for this cause. Today, I am throwing it away in front of you," he said while addressing a crowd in Dhaka on December 5.
Interestingly, a similar protest was held in India some days back when protestors set fire to Bangladeshi-made Dhakai Jamdani sarees. The protest was held by the Bengali Hindu Suraksha Samiti in Kolkata's Salt Lake area, condemning what they described as “atrocities against Hindus” in Bangladesh. The demonstrators also called on Indian nationals to boycott goods made in Bangladesh and warned of retaliation if attacks against Hindus continued in the country led by the unelected interim government of Muhammad Yunus.
(With inputs from agencies)