The tone of Nobel Prize winner Professor Mohammad Yunus, head of the interim government of Bangladesh, seems to have changed regarding relations with India. Regarding relations with India, he has said that his country has no other option but to maintain good relations with India.
In an interview, he said, ‘Bangladesh should improve its relations with India, because of its needs and its long acquaintance with India and also because we have many things in common. We have a shared history. So Bangladesh has no other way but to have good relations with India.’
In early August, the student movement in Bangladesh took a violent turn and there was large-scale violence in the country in which hundreds of people were killed. Due to the student movement, Sheikh Hasina had to resign from the post of Prime Minister and on August 5, she fled the country to India. Many voices were raised against India in Bangladesh for giving shelter to Sheikh Hasina and now the relations between the two countries are at the lowest level.
Muhammad Yunus’ interim government has already cancelled Hasina’s diplomatic passport and many people, including top prosecutors in Bangladesh, are seeking her extradition.
Yunus spoke on resolving disputed issues between India and Bangladesh
Prof. Yunus also stressed on resolving bilateral issues between India and Bangladesh. He said that the issue of water sharing and cross-border movement of people should be resolved. He said that his administration will work together with India to resolve these issues.
He said, ‘We have to work together and there are international ways to solve these issues. We will follow those paths and get a good result.’
Sheikh Hasina living in India targeted
Prof. Yunus targeted Sheikh Hasina, who is living in India, and said that Sheikh Hasina has ruined all the government institutions of Bangladesh. Regarding former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during whose tenure Bangladesh’s economy became the second largest economy of South Asia, Prof. Yunus accuses her of sinking the country’s economy into the abyss.
In an interview with German broadcaster DW, Prof Yunus alleged, “Money was siphoned out of Bangladesh through government channels, bank channels and other means. Agreements were made not for the benefit of the people of Bangladesh but for the benefit of their own families… and other similar things were done. When the government goes in the wrong direction, you see such bad things… the economy goes into a tailspin and then such things keep happening.”
Before Covid, Bangladesh’s economy was growing at a very fast pace, but after the Covid-19 pandemic, like other countries, Bangladesh’s $450 billion economy faltered. Unemployment also increased among Bangladesh’s youth and there was a shortage of well-paying jobs.
Fuel and food prices have also risen in Bangladesh following the outbreak of war between Russia, a major exporter of wheat and other food grains, and Ukraine, depleting the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
In view of the shortage of foreign exchange reserves, Bangladesh had last year sought a bailout package of $4.7 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Yunus’ interim government is now requesting the IMF to give them $5 billion in aid.
When will elections be held in Bangladesh?
During the interview, Prof. Yunus also talked about the next elections in Bangladesh, however, he did not give any fixed date for the elections. He said that the elections will be held as soon as possible.
He said, ‘This is our mandate. We want to come to the election and have a transparent election, a beautiful election. Then we want to celebrate the victory of whichever party comes to power, and hand over power to the newly elected government. So this should happen as soon as possible. We cannot tell you the date and time right now.’
Meanwhile, Prof. Yunus said that his interim administration wants to establish citizens’ rights, human rights, democracy and good governance in the country.
He also hinted at amendments to the Constitution of Bangladesh. The head of the interim government said, ‘We have to focus on the main issues of the Constitution and build a consensus. We cannot do anything without the consent of the people because this is our strength. If a consensus is reached, we will move forward on it.’
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