India is closely monitoring the ongoing ready-made garment (RMG) workers’ protests in Bangladesh while reaffirming its commitment to positive ties with Dhaka, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the MEA’s bi-weekly press briefing, Jaiswal addressed questions on the labour unrest and broader developments in Bangladesh. “We have been following the situation in Bangladesh. There have been developments there, and we continue to follow those developments. As far as the India-Bangladesh relationship is concerned, we want to work towards a positive, forward-looking, and constructive relationship,” he stated.
The remarks came as protests by garment workers demanding a minimum monthly wage hike from 12,500 taka to 30,000 taka entered their fourth day. Tensions flared again in Dhaka’s Mirpur area after some factories partially reopened in the morning and workers returned to the streets, prompting police deployment. Similar demonstrations and clashes have occurred in Gazipur, Ashulia, and other industrial hubs, disrupting operations at hundreds of factories and affecting large numbers of the sector’s roughly four million workers.
Bangladesh’s RMG industry, the world’s second-largest apparel exporter after China, accounts for more than 80 percent of the country’s export earnings. The last wage revision took effect in December 2023. Amid high inflation and rising living costs, workers have continued protesting even after the government formed a six-member Minimum Wage Board on 1 November. Additional Border Guard Bangladesh personnel have been deployed in key industrial zones, with some use of drones and body cameras for surveillance.
On bilateral water issues, including the Ganga water treaty, Jaiswal reiterated that discussions would proceed through established channels. “Between India and Bangladesh, we have a Joint Rivers Commission, and that is the structured mechanism for discussion on all cross-boundary rivers, including the Ganga,” he said. The 1996 treaty is due to expire this year.
Jaiswal also noted a standing invitation to Bangladesh’s leadership. “We have already extended an invitation to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to visit India, and if there is an update, I will keep you informed,” he added, referring to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
India’s comments remained measured, focusing on monitoring the situation and preserving constructive bilateral relations without detailed commentary on the internal dynamics of the protests.