Bula Devi reports from New Delhi
New Delhi Feb 14:-
The Trump Administration does not appear to be interested in getting
involved in the chaos in India’s neighbourhood Bangladesh where over
600 deaths have taken place since August last year.
It was a long held perception that the simmering anger against then Sheikh
Hasina regime was organic. However, geopolitical analysts and observers
also attributed it to US’s Deep State’s strategy in allegedly supporting the
chaos.
When US President Donald Trump was asked by a journalist on Thursday
at the joint press conference with prime Minister Narendra Modi in
Washington DC on alleged involvement of the previous government led by
President Joe Biden in the fall of Sheikh Hasina government who has since
taken shelter in India, and installing Mohammed Yunus as the chief adviser
to the interim caretaker government, who is at the same time seen by many
as a puppet of the US, Trump denied.
President Trump said, “There was no role for our deep state. This is
something that the Prime Minister has been working on for a long time, for
hundreds of years, frankly I have been reading about it. I will leave
Bangladesh to the Prime Minister.”
Relationship between India and Bangladesh have nosedived since August
last year when Sheikh Hasina was ousted and she had to flee from her soil
and took shelter in India amidst massive protests in Bangladesh.
The interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus who
tried his fate in politics earlier, returned from the US and took charge as
the country’s caretaker. But, Yunus is under attack for failing to control
attacks on minorities and Hindus by radical Islamists.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed to the media that the
Bangladesh issue did come up for discussion between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
“This was a subject that was discussed between the two leaders and the
Prime Minister shared his views and, indeed, his concerns with regard to
recent developments in Bangladesh and how India sees the situation,”
Misri said.
“We hope that the situation in Bangladesh will also move forward in a
direction that allows us to maintain constructive and stable relations.
However, there are concerns about that situation and the Prime Minister
conveyed those views to President Trump,” the Foreign Secretary said in
response to a question.
It may be recalled Foreign Secretary Misri was in Dhaka in December last
year on an official visit. He called on the Chief Adviser of the Interim
Government of Bangladesh. He also called on the Foreign Affairs Adviser
Md. Touhid Hossain. He held Foreign Office Consultations with the
Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Jashim Uddin.
In the meetings, he had highlighted India’s support for a democratic,
stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh. He reiterated
India’s willingness to build a positive and constructive relationship with
Bangladesh, based on mutual trust and respect and mutual sensitivity to
each other’s concerns and interests.
He had emphasised that people are the main stakeholders in India-
Bangladesh relations, and noted that India’s development cooperation and
multifaceted engagements with Bangladesh, including in the areas of
connectivity, trade, power, energy and capacity building, are all geared
towards the benefit of the people of Bangladesh.
He also discussed certain developments and issues and conveyed India’s
concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of minorities,
and also raised some regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious
and diplomatic properties.
