‘Dilli na Dhaka’: Anti-India slogans erupt at massive Bangladesh rally, Tarique Rahman targeted

National Citizen Party (NCP) convenor Nahid Islam, known for his anti-India rhetoric, led the protest outside the National Museum in Dhaka's Shahbagh area. The demonstrators also demanded the resignation of the Home and Energy ministers.

Videos of the rally shared on X showed protesters raising slogans such as "Dilli na Dhaka" and chanting "Dhaka, Dhaka" in unison.

In an apparent attempt to revive anti-India sentiment, Islam was quoted by bdnews24 as saying at the rally: "We see that Japan is trying to create a corridor through Bangladesh once again. The government is trying to hand over the illegal corridor to India. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, we want to say clearly that the people of Bangladesh will not accept any such illegal corridor."

Targeting Rahman, he further alleged: "We can see very clearly that the BNP government and Tarique Rahman have no plan to run the country. They only have plans on how to corrupt the country, how to loot it, how to extort it, how to establish criminality."

Nahid Islam was one of the prominent faces of the 2024 Bangladesh uprising that led to the ouster of the government headed by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The NCP also demanded the resignation of Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku, accusing them of failing to discharge their duties.

In a separate post on X, Islam wrote: "Our fight continues until all four demands, including the resignation of the Home Minister, are met. InshaAllah!"

Anti-India rhetoric had largely subsided after Tarique Rahman assumed office following the BNP's victory in Bangladesh's February elections. However, Friday's rally appears to indicate a renewed escalation in anti-India rhetoric, with the issue of a proposed corridor emerging as a key point of contention.