There is uncertainty over whether there will be a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the head of the interim government of Bangladesh, Mohammad Yunus, during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to sources, this meeting seems difficult due to the recent controversial statements of Yunus. It is noteworthy that Yunus’ government of Bangladesh has demanded a meeting with PM Modi in New York.
Bangladesh earlier this week formally requested a bilateral meeting between Yunus and Modi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York later this month. However, Indian officials said no decision had been taken on the request yet. Officials said the schedule for other bilateral meetings during PM Modi’s visit to New York was being finalised.
Earlier, Mohammad Yunus had criticized former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in an interview given to an Indian media. He had said that Hasina is hiding in India, India should take action against Hasina. Along with this, Yunus also advised Sheikh Hasina to keep quiet. Yunus also alleged that India is showing excessive sympathy towards Hasina and portraying other political parties as ‘Islamists’. It is being told that India did not like these statements of Yunus. This is the reason why India does not want to participate in a bilateral meeting with Yunus.
In his statement last week, Yunus said, “If India wants to keep Hasina with them until Bangladesh takes her back, then the condition will be that Hasina stays silent. Hasina is speaking and giving directions while staying in India, which is neither good for Bangladesh nor for India.” Bangladesh has made it clear to India that Hasina should keep quiet, because she has taken refuge in India and is running political activities from there.
The Indian government has said Sheikh Hasina was allowed to enter India immediately after stepping down on August 5. The foreign ministry has declined to comment on Bangladesh’s potential demand for Hasina’s extradition, calling it a hypothetical matter.
It is noteworthy that Yunus had a phone conversation with Prime Minister Modi on August 16. During this conversation, Modi had requested Yunus to ensure the safety of minorities in Bangladesh. Yunus had assured that Bangladesh will give priority to the safety of all minorities. In recent times, Yunus has alleged that the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh have been exaggerated in the Indian media.
During the phone conversation, the two leaders also discussed ways to take bilateral relations forward in accordance with national priorities. However, according to sources, the interim government of Bangladesh does not seem to be able to control the whole situation and some elements within it are clashing with each other. This situation has further complicated the relations between Bangladesh and India.