By Nitya Chakraborty
Bangladesh Interim Head Dr. Muhammad Yunus has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talks in New York in the last week of September when both of them will be attending the session of United Nations general assembly .So far, there has been no response from the Indian Government sources. In fact, there is silence from the South Block on this issue.
Indian officials should remember that new Bangladesh administration with its contacts through Dr. Yunus is making all out efforts to represent its views to the US administration during the presence of Dr. Yunus in USA from September 22 to 27. Apart from meeting the US officials and top congressmen of Capitol Hill, Dr. Yunus is seeking for bilateral meetings with some important country heads who will be attending the session.
Dr. Yunus will be addressing the UN general assembly on September 27 but the most important is that he is addressing a meeting of Bangladesh diaspora in New York at Marriot Hotel on September 26. Only five hundred selected people will be allowed in that meeting under strict security as the Awami League supporters have decided to organize massive rally before the Hotel protesting against the ‘illegal’ Yunus government and demanding stoppage of atrocities and murders against the interim government.
In Bangladesh diaspora of USA, Awami League supporters are in big majority and most of them are supporters of the Democratic Party. But Dr. Yunus with his close contacts with Hillary Clinton has organised unfettered security network so that the protesters can not disrupt the Marriot meeting. New York is governed by the Democrats. The influential pro Democrat Bangladeshis are also making all preparations to make the protest a success. The Awami League supporters will also hold demonstrations at JFK Airport in New York at the time of the arrival of Dr. Yunus on September 22.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the rally of Indian diaspora at Long Islands in New York on September 22. The organisers have estimated participation of 16,000 people. But since this is the election year, there is a big tussle in the organisation, the federal body which is generally led by the BJP supporters. Only last week, the body of Hindu Americans in USA backed by the VHP, announced their support for Donald Trump in the November elections. They even said that only under Trump rule, relations with India will prosper and Trump has an excellent relation with Narendra Modi.
It is recalled that during 2020 presidential elections, at an Indian diaspora event, in the presence of Narendra Modi and the then President Donald Trump, the slogans were raised Phir ebar Trump Sarkar. The Democrats took note of this. This time, it is to be seen whether Trump on his own attends the Indian diaspora event to show his solidarity with Narendra Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not addressing the main session of UN assembly. External affairs minister S Jaishankar will address that session on September 28 one day after the Bangladesh interim head Dr. Yunus. Those who have covered the UN general assembly including this writer know that nobody gives any importance to the foreign minister when the heads of states are addressing. Narendra Modi by not deciding to address the main session had also handed over to Dr. Yunus the opportunity to publicise his views uncontested. The US media is interested in knowing what Dr. Yunus says and that will be reported. Nobody will care for a second in command from India like Dr. Jaishankar when the big bosses are there.
What is the latest political situation in Bangladesh now after the completion of one month of functioning by the interim Government? Dr. Yunus himself told a gathering last week that his government’s main task is to ensure justice to those who have been affected by the dictatorial rule of the Awami League Government for the last fifteen years. Officially the newly appointed chief prosecutor of Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal Tajul Islam announced on Sunday that the interim government will take steps to get Hasina extradited to face genocide trial. All those involved in the massacre will be officially tried, he said.
What does it mean for India? Latest reports from Bangladesh with Indian authorities in Delhi indicate a harrowing situation in the country despite all the denials by the interim government. About two lakh Awami League supporters and leaders have been named for prosecution and they may be put before the ICT for trial. This means that the entire Awami League organization is under trial. The chief prosecutor Tajul Islam is an active pro-Jamaat lawyer with links with worst fundamentalists. Md. Yunus has made him the chief prosecutor. So one can expect what can happen in the trial. The internal report from Indian intelligence sources say that the country has been turned into a haven for fundamentalists in the last one month. Effectively, the BNP and the Jamaat are controlling and the policemen, yet to come out of their demoralization after August 5, are going by what the BNP and the Jamaat are saying..
The Bangladesh economy needs India and India has also a big stake in the revival of the neighbour’s economy as lot of investment is involved. But the present interim government is taking on India politically and ignoring the future of India-Bangladesh economic collaboration. They are putting their stake on the IMF delegation’s visit later this month followed by the visit of the US state department delegation led by Donald Lu. Bangladesh is expected to stick to its rigid position against India bolstered by the support of both US and China.
India has a very big stake in Bangladesh economy. India has committed loans of US$6.36 billion to Bangladesh with minimum interest. Out of this, work was going on in only US$1.8 billion worth projects till August 5. Work has been stopped in most of the projects as the Indian employees have fled to India for security reasons. There are 19,000 Indians in Bangladesh including 9,000 students. Most of them have returned to India and are not willing to go back till situation returns to normalcy. Indian economic interests have to be protected and this can not be done without Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal intervention with Dr. Yunus.
The same regarding the security of more than one crore Hindus in Bangladesh. After initial attacks against the Hindu families in the days after August 5, the security situation improved after the Hindu areas organized their own volunteers and the forward looking students helped. But the situation has again turned grim as all criminals belonging to Jamaat have been released and Jamaat is getting huge funds again due to the withdrawal of restrictions on flow of foreign funds earlier imposed by the Hasina govt. The turf is free for Jamaat as the BNP is also backing it. Since the police administration is not expected to act against Jamaat at the moment, the threat to Hindus remains.
Mr Modi should focus fully during his stay in New York on Bangladesh and the issues relating to extradition of Sheikh Hasina and security of the Hindus. . The BNP leaders based in USA have created an anti-India environment through their contacts which have been bolstered by Dr. Yunus’s personal relationship with few Democratic Party leaders including Hillary Clinton. The main organizer of Dr. Yunus’s diaspora meeting is the BNP leader GiasAhmed.BNP and Jamaat supporters have taken full control of the meeting. Bangladesh consulate in New York is just a post office for sending invitation letters. Thus Narendra Modi’s New York performance regarding Bangladesh issue will show whether the US administration really cares about Indian Prime Minister. (IPA Service)
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