| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
|---|---|---|
| ‘যথাসময়ে বাংলাদেশকে স্বীকৃতি দেয়া হবে’ প্রধানমন্ত্রী কর্তৃক শরণার্থী সমস্যার ওপর গুরুত্ব আরোপ | দৈনিক ‘ষ্টেটসম্যান’ | ১৭ মে, ১৯৭১ |
NO RECOGNITION AT WRONG TIME: PM STRESS ON REFUGEE
RELIFE PROBLEMS
(By Our Special Representative)
The Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, made it clear at a brief meeting with reporters at Dum Dum airport on Sunday that the much-talked-about issue of giving recognition to the Bangladesh Government was not as much an immediate problem with the Union Government as one might think.
She said the main consideration was whether such recognition by the Union government would help the Bangladesh people. “I think it will not help them much and recognition should not be given at the wrong time,” she added.
The Prime Minister was apparently annoyed when a reporter asked her is shed was waiting for some other countries to recognize the Bangladesh Government. She said such questions had been put to her several times before. She had always maintained that India had an independent policy and did not depend on others in formulating her stand on various issues.
“We happen to be an independent country with an independent policy, with very strong views on many subjects under the sun and we are not dependent on what others say or do” she added.
Immediately on her arrival at that airport by an Air force helicopter after her visit to two refugee camps and a hospital at Bongaon the Prime Minister held a closed-door meeting with the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mr. Ajoy Mukherji and Mr Bijay Singh Nahar, Mr Siddhartha Sankar Ray, the Union Education Minister who traveled with the Prime Minister, was also present at the meeting which lasted more than half an hour.
Mrs, Gandhi flew from Assam to Haldibari in the morning and then to Dum Dum Airport where she touched down at about 2:15 p.m. Her party included Mr. Ray and Miss Padmaja Naidu, who is the head of the Bangladesh Sahayak Samiti. From Dum Dum the Prime Minister and her party west to Bongaon by a helicopter. Another helicopter carried the West Bengal Ministers. They came back to Dum Dum a little after 5:30 p.m.
The Prime Minister wore a blue sari and a full-sleeve blouse and she looked tired. As she came on the first floor of the new airport lounge, she asked her attendants to arrange a ground floor room for an immediate conference with Mr. Ajoy Mukherji and Mr Nahar.
