The Indian government on Thursday sought cooperation from Bangladesh on the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshi nationals residing in India, emphasizing that this is a core issue requiring mutual effort. Speaking for the first time since the West Bengal assembly election results, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) urged Dhaka to expedite the pending nationality verification of close to 3,000 individuals to ensure smooth repatriation.
Pending Verification Cases
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that over 2,862 cases of nationality verification are pending with Bangladesh, some for as long as five years. He stressed that India's policy is clear: all illegal foreign nationals must be repatriated according to Indian laws, procedures, and established bilateral arrangements.
Call for Cooperation
“We expect Bangladesh to expedite nationality verification so that repatriation of illegal immigrants can take place in a smooth manner,” Jaiswal said. The remarks came in response to media queries about a social media post by Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, who warned of action if there were any “push-in” incidents from India. Jaiswal noted that such comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of repatriation, which requires cooperation from Bangladesh.
Teesta River Issue
Responding to a question on possible cooperation between Bangladesh and China on the management of the Teesta River, Jaiswal highlighted that India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers and have structured bilateral mechanisms to discuss all water-related issues. These mechanisms continue to meet at regular intervals. This statement followed a report by Bangladesh’s BSS news agency that Rahman, during a visit to China, had sought Chinese involvement and support for the Teesta project.
