North 24 Parganas, 18 May

As India imposes port restrictions on import of several categories of goods from Bangladesh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh on Sunday asserted that the neighbouring country in the east couldn't survive if it ventures out against India.

"When we can tighten screws on Pakistan, then what is Bangladesh? It is surrounded by India from all four sides. For Bangladesh, everything is in our hands, from air to water, business to commerce. They should understand that it cannot survive if they go against India," Ghosh told ANI.

His remarks come after the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has imposed immediate port restrictions on the import of several categories of goods from Bangladesh, following a directive issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
The move limits the entry of products such as ready-made garments and processed foods to specific seaports, an official press release by the Ministry stated.

Under the new directive, all kinds of ready-made garments from Bangladesh can now only be imported through Nhava Sheva and Kolkata seaports, with entry through land ports no longer permitted.

Additionally, the import of items such as fruit-flavoured and carbonated drinks, processed food, cotton waste, PVC and plastic finished goods (except approved industrial inputs), and wooden furniture has been restricted at Land Customs Stations (LCSs) and Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and West Bengal's Changrabandha and Fulbari.

The directive makes clear that imports of essential items like fish, LPG, edible oil, and crushed stone remain unaffected. Goods transiting through India from Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan are also exempt.

The restrictions come in the wake of remarks made by Bangladesh's interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus during a speech in China, where he referred to India's northeastern states as a "landlocked region with no access to the ocean." Indian officials interpreted the comment as a challenge to the region's connectivity and sovereignty, triggering a diplomatic backlash. (ANI)