Bangladesh providing full cooperation in tracking down fundamentalists: Kiren Rijiju

Bangladesh has been providing full cooperation in tracking down fundamentalists and criminal elements, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday. 

Addressing the sixth India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue, Rijiju said there were fringe elements along the border which try to vitiate the atmosphere but they would not be allowed to destroy relations between the two countries. "Bangladesh has been very helpful. They have been providing full cooperation in tracking down fundamentalists and criminal elements," he said.

The Minister said India-Bangladesh border is there to connect and not to divide and New Delhi is always looking forward to improve the bilateral relations further. "We are very careful not to vitiate the atmosphere. I will not name anybody at this time. Without Bangladesh, India could not Look East and when you Look East, you cannot bypass Bangladesh," he said.

Referring to the recently ratified Land Boundary Agreement by Parliament, he said it indicated the enormous good will in India for Bangladesh. "And then whether we like it or not, we have to live together," he said. Rijiju also advocated more people-to-people contact between India and Bangladesh.