Dhaka, June 11 -- Senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has likened the recent surge in cross-border push-ins to stepping on someone's foot to start a fight -- a "deliberate provocation" by India.

He linked the wave of forced repatriations to what he described as "growing hostility" from the neighbouring country, possibly fuelled by resentment over the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

He questioned the motive behind the alleged actions. "Why this sudden turn? Is it because Hasina is no longer in power that they've become more aggressive?"

Speaking at the BNP's Naya Paltan office on Wednesday afternoon, the senior joint secretary general claimed that push-ins were now occurring almost daily across different border points including Th...