Refrain from painting everyone as Islamist: Yunus to Modi Govt
Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh Interim Government, Thursday asked the Narendra Modi government in India to refrain from painting everyone as Islamist
Dhaka: Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh Interim Government, Thursday asked the Narendra Modi government in India to refrain from painting everyone as Islamist.
In an interview news agency, Press Trust of India, Yunus stressed that while Bangladesh values strong bilateral relations with India, New Delhi must move beyond the narrative that portrays every other political party except Awami League as Islamist.
"The way forward is for India to come out of the narrative. The narrative is that everybody is Islamist, BNP is Islamist, and everyone else is Islamist and will make this country into Afghanistan”, the Nobel Laureate said.
“And (the narrative that) Bangladesh is in safe hands only with Sheikh Hasina at the helm. India is captivated by this narrative. India needs to come out of this narrative. Bangladesh, like any other nation, is just another neighbour," he added.
In his first detailed interview with the New Delhi based news agency, Yunus also said the reports of attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus were political and not communal.
He also said the reports of attacks on the Bangladeshi Hindus were exaggerated. Yunus asserted that the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh were a part of a political fallout, since there was a perception that most Hindus support the now-deposed Awami League government, led by Sheikh Hasina.
“I have said this to (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi also that this is exaggerated. This issue has several dimensions. When the country went through an upheaval following the atrocities by (Sheikh) Hasina and the Awami League, those who were with them also faced attacks,” Yunus, who is hailed for reviving the rural economy of the country, said.
He said he had also conveyed to PM Modi that Bangladesh would prioritise the protection and safety of Hindus and all other minority groups.
“These attacks are political in nature and not communal. And India is propagating these incidents in a big way. We have not said that we can’t do anything; we have said that we are doing everything,” the Chief Adviser said.
Yunus also asked Sheikh Hasina who fled from Bangladesh after the uprising to remain silent during his stay in India.
In a public statement from India, Hasina had claimed that the US was involved in her ouster after she refused to hand over Saint Martin Island, a move that would have increased US influence in the Bay of Bengal—a claim the US has denied.
Yunus described Hasina's political commentary as an "unfriendly gesture" and emphasized that she should "remain silent" to avoid straining relations until Bangladesh formally requests her extradition.
"If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet," Yunus said.
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