India disappointed at world’s indifference
By A Staff Reporter, The Union Rehabilitation Minister, Mr. Khadilkar, gave reporters to understand in Calcutta on Sunday India’s disappointment at the indifference shown by the international community at U Thant’s appeal for aid to the evacuees from Bangladesh. He said “international conscience is an elastic thing which contracts or expands according to the interest of the nations concerned.”
Mr. Khadilkar visited a number of refugee camps under construction near Bongaon during the day. He was accompanied by the members of the West Bengal Cabinet Sub-Committee on Bangladesh. PWD Minister Mr. Santosh Roy and the Health Mionister Dr. Zainal Abedin. The Union Relief Secretary, Mr. G. S. Kahion was also with him.
The Minister said that in an other six weeks the Centre would shift the refugees from the borders to areas 25 to 30 miles inside the States. He said that at present the Government had no plan to disperse them to other States. He expected that in another six months the refugees would be able to return home “safely and triumphantly”. He hoped that India’s moral stature coupled with potential strength of the Bangladesh people, would convince the Big powers to pressurise Pakistan to take back its own nationals.
Mr. Khadilkar said that the refugees were “potential breeding grounds for Naxalites”, and India could not allow to develop it so. He hoped that Big powers like the US would not allow the Vietnamisation of the problem in Bangladesh. He said that already Chinese arms and instructors were helping the Pakistan Government.
Will Big powers like it to continue”, he asked.
Quoting a UN export, who had seen the massacre in Biafra, he said that the genocide in Bangladesh had far exceeded that in Biafra. While there was much publicity for it was almost silent about happenings in Bangladesh. Mr. Khadilkar appeared visibly moved by what he had seen in the border camps and hospital. He said that already 143 persons with bullet injuries had been treated at Bongaon hospital. “The Pakistani Army had spared. neither Muslims nor Hindus in this regard”, he added.
The Minister said that the genocide in Bangladesh had already become an internal affair of India since the inflow of refugees from there was posing an economic burden to this country.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 24.5.1971