Bangladesh has stepped up its efforts to challenge the recent recognition of Tangail saree as a Geographical Indication (GI) product of India.
In a diplomatic initiative, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi has issued a letter to the Indian Foreign Ministry requesting action. Apart from this, the officials here are preparing for a legal fight against Indian recognition.
The Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry had accepted 'Banglar Tangail Saree' or 'Tangail Saree of Bengal' as its GI product on 2 January.
Traders, GI experts, legal experts and rights defenders stood firmly against Indian recognition and claimed Tangail saree to be a product of Bangladesh. Since there is no place named Tangail in India, the GI recognition of his ministry is unjust.
The recognition of Tangail saree in India caused huge outrage in Bangladesh and prompted the district administration of Tangail to hastily apply for GI of the traditional handloom saree on 6 February.
The Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT), functioning under the Ministry of Industry, immediately approved the application and sent it to the government press for printing in the Gazette.
Later, the authorities released the gazette granting GI certification of Tangail saree on February 8. According to the law, if no objection is raised in the next two months, the GI status will be secured.
As per the GI law of India, there is scope for filing objection to any GI recognition within three months of the declaration. If Bangladesh wants to dispute the decision, it will have to file its objection within April 1.
With the deadline for objections under India's GI Act approaching, Bangladesh is preparing for negotiations through diplomatic channels as well as a legal battle.
Professor Tauhidul Islam of Dhaka University's law department believes there is scope to resolve disputes between the two neighboring countries on shared products through diplomatic dialogue.
He said the authorities here can approach the Indian Registrar for GI to de-recognise Tangail Saree and the Indian Appellate Board with objection on GI recognition.
Since the Appellate Board is now ineffective, their High Court can hear the appeal, he said, adding that the issue can also be raised in the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
As part of diplomatic efforts, the Bangladesh High Commission in India issued a letter to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, seeking resolution of the dispute over the GI of Tangail saree.
The letter requested the ministry to take up the issue with the concerned authorities and cancel or suspend the GI status of Tangail saree in India. It also proposed bilateral discussions or formation of a joint technical committee to resolve the issue.
DPDT Director General Munim Hasan told Prothom Alo on Wednesday that they are working sincerely and making efforts at all levels including legal channel to get GI status for Tangail saree.
He said, “Tangel saree is a matter of our national pride and its ownership can never be with India.”
Preparation for legal battle
Along with diplomatic efforts, officials are preparing for a legal battle to get GI status for the handloom product.
The Industry Ministry formed a joint task force to prepare proposals for a diplomatic solution to the dispute. It will also, in collaboration with experts, look into appeals for cancellation of GI status and subsequent cases.
The task force held its first meeting on Wednesday. One member told Prothom Alo that they have decided to hire a lawyer in India to secure GI status for the Bangladeshi product.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow, Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD)…………………………..