Why Bangladesh Can’t Live Without India: A Crisis of Denial

Poonam Sharma
Bangladesh is knocking again on India’s doorstep. This time it is asking for 5 million tonnes of rice in the name of domestic shortages. Ironically, it is the same nation which does not even acknowledge its increasing reliance on India — whether for food, clothes, or even energy. The bigger question is: Why has Bangladesh, a country once of plenty, turned so weak?

The solution is not only in geopolitics or economics — it’s rooted very much in religious and historical denial, in how a country erased its Hindu roots systematically and adopted an Islamist identity borrowed from elsewhere.

Food, But No Soil?

In spite of being a river-blessed delta, Bangladesh can’t feed itself. Its agricultural land remains underutilized, mismanaged or submerged under water. Islamist corrupt rulers have not invested in self-sustaining agriculture. Rather, they rely on India to act as their food bank.

This reliance is not new. Whether onions, ginger, or rice, even simple household supplies are being imported. And if India sneezes, Bangladesh catches a cold. No indigenous ability is developed — not even to nourish its populace.

Cotton, Clothes, and the False Sense of Industry
Bangladesh’s renowned garment industry? Founded on Indian cotton and overseas orders. From shirts to saris, the yarn is Indian, the customers are Western. Bangladesh claims little originality. It simply sews up what others supply — Indian raw materials and American contracts.

Where once Hindu merchants operated successful jute and cotton centers in Dhaka, Jessore and Rajshahi. Now Islamist monopoly has wiped them out, and the economy staggers on foreign debt, subsidies, and illusionary pride.

From Hindu Prosperity to Islamist Poverty
When Bangladesh was predominantly Hindu prior to 1947, its temples, agriculture, and commerce were prosperous. Now Hinduism has almost disappeared from its land — not through conversion, but ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and systematic land grabbing.

Whole districts have become inhospitable. The same culture that promoted food, festivals, and living together has given way to a monolithic Islamic identity with no space for the tolerant economic framework that was the hallmark of the region.

The Curse of Microfinance and Foreign Puppeteering
The global elite has packaged Bangladesh as a “model of microfinance”, awarding Nobel Prizes to figures like Muhammad Yunus, hailed as saviors. But behind the glitter lies an agenda: Create a dependent economy tied to Western debt, unable to stand on its own feet.

These microloans benefit foreign lenders more than anyone else. The villagers mortgage livestock, gold, and land. The mirage of empowerment conceals the neocolonial shackles of external financial power — all in the name of women empowerment and poverty reduction.

Is it not ironic that an “Islamic” government relies on Western secular institutions and Hindu neighbors for sustenance while remaining anti-Hindu and anti-India in rhetoric?

When Islamic Governance Becomes a Trap
Bangladesh’s Islamist political leadership, emboldened by Wahhabi networks and Pakistani-style administration, have repressed dissent, cleansed secular education, and substituted syncretic heritage with hardline ideologies. And what’s the result? No innovation, no industry, no vision — only imported sermons and corruption.

Democracy has turned into a farce. The elections are rigged, and the minorities have no representation. Even the elementary urban sanitation, water, and education have broken down in most places. Yet, the rulers triumph by accusing India of their own shortcomings.

Bangladesh Can’t Grow Without Reconciliation
Unless Bangladesh recognizes its Hindu heritage, it will be lost. This has nothing to do with religion — it’s all about cultural memory, land values, and economic honor. Hindu society, as flawed as it was, valued local commerce, conservation, and merit — qualities that once characterized Bengal.

Now, with a homogenized Islamic regime, even cows — once sacred — are slaughtered and shipped out. Ironically, Bangladesh survives on Indian cows, Indian wheat, Indian sympathy, while persisting in denigrating Hindu icons.

India Must Rethink Its Generosity
India’s largesse is based on civilizational connections, not political motive. But for how long can this largesse continue? Bangladesh’s uncontrolled immigration, cross-border terrorism, and anti-India propaganda cannot be wished away. West Bengal and Assam are the worst hit — from pressure on resources to communal tensions.

If Bangladesh keeps waiting for aid, it needs to be respectful. Not only diplomatically, but culturally. It needs to realize that without India, and without the Hindu spirit, Bangladesh has no spine, no soil, and no soul.

 A Mirror for Bangladesh, A Wake-Up for India
Bangladesh today is a denial nation — of its dependence, of its past, and of its future. It was born not as an Islamic republic but as a pluralist Bengali country, anchored in culture, song, river, and soil.

Unless it restores that balance, neither all the rice imports, cotton factories, nor UN initiatives will be able to save it. And India — should no longer be a blind donor. It’s time to call for reciprocity, accountability, and honesty.

If Bangladesh aspires to rise, it needs to look in the mirror — and see the Hindu farmer, the Bengali craftsman, and the Indian neighbor it left behind.

Only then can it become more than a nation of borrowed dreams