As India imposes port restrictions on the import of several categories of goods from Bangladesh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh asserted that Bangladesh couldn’t survive if it ventured against India. Ghosh stated that since Bangladesh is surrounded by India on all four sides, its survival depends on maintaining good relations. He emphasized that India controls crucial resources for Bangladesh, including air, water, business, and commerce.
His remarks follow the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s decision to impose immediate port restrictions on certain Bangladeshi goods after a directive from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The new regulation limits the import of ready-made garments and processed foods to Nhava Sheva and Kolkata seaports, prohibiting entry through land ports.
The directive also restricts the import of fruit-flavoured drinks, carbonated beverages, processed food, cotton waste, PVC, plastic finished goods (excluding approved industrial inputs), and wooden furniture through Land Customs Stations (LCSs) and Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and West Bengal’s Changrabandha and Fulbari. However, essential items like fish, LPG, edible oil, and crushed stone remain unaffected, as do goods transiting from Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan.
The restrictions follow comments made by Bangladesh’s interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in China, where he referred to India’s northeastern states as a “landlocked region with no access to the ocean.” Indian officials viewed this statement as a challenge to the region’s connectivity and sovereignty, sparking a diplomatic response.
About The Author
