KOLKATA, June 22 – India is likely to take up with Bangladesh the issues of infiltration and reported ultra training camps on its soil at a ministerial-level meeting, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Prakash Jaiswal, said here today, reports PTI.
“If required, we will consider holding bilateral talks with Dhaka at the ministerial level to resolve the sensitive issues like the infiltration of the Bangladeshis into India and the reported training camps of anti-Indian ultras in that country,” Jaiswal told reporters here after his review meeting with senior CRPF officials at its Eastern Sector Headquarters here. Jaiswal said that efforts mounted by New Delhi so far to check Bangladeshi infiltration into India was yet to yield the “desired results”.
The Minister hoped that Bangladesh as a good neighbour would definitely go deeper into these problems and help resolve the issues to the mutual satisfaction of both the countries. He, however, observed that the problems between the two countries were not that big and that these would be resolved through bilateral discussion at the appropriate level.
“We have to convince them of our problems and I am sure the Bangladesh authority will realise it and come forward to resolve them,” he said. The UPA Government, Jaiswal said, wanted to maintain good relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, and would take steps at the appropriate level – whenever required – in this regard.
Asked if the Centre would urge Bangladesh to flush out the anti-India insurgents, as was done in Bhutan, Jaiswal said: “Why not? If required, we shall take up the matter with the Bangladesh Government at the appropriate level.” Jaiswal, however, refused to comment when asked if the proposed trade route between China and India through Nathula Pass had received clearance from the Home Ministry, saying: “Since the matter involved a number of ministries, I should not comment.”
He said the Centre would soon adopt a policy decision to strengthen and modernise the CRPF and other para-military forces, besides upgrading the force's infrastructure and arms. Appreciating the performance of CRPF, the Minister said that in the wake of militant activities in various parts of the country, the force required to be armed with modern and sophisticated weapons.