The head of the Bangladesh interim government Muhammad Yunus has downplayed the violence on the Hindu minority in his country, terming it as “propaganda” from the Indian side. Doubling down on his whitewashing spree, Yunus also refuted the recent comments by Donald Trump where the latter questioned the security of minority groups in the country.
The Chaos in charge Muhammad Yunus says attacks on Hindus “exaggerated”
Instead of protecting the minorities, Yunus has instead downplayed their issues. In an address to the nation on Sunday, he claimed that violence against Hindus had occurred “only in some cases” and most complaints were “completely exaggerated.” Shunning accountability and shame for failing to protect Bengali Hindus who are also Bangladeshi citizens, Mohd Yunus brazenly claimed that such ‘incidents’ were few, indicating as if the Bangladeshi leader was not pleased with the Islamist forces for just launching hundreds, if not thousands, attacks, rather than a complete purge of the Bangladeshi Hindu community.
Furthermore, Yunus watered down these communal attacks terming them as “political” as if political violence is condonable, haram and there should be space for it in civilised society.
He claimed that the reports were just attempts to destabilise Bangladesh by giving them a religious angle. “With the cooperation of all of you, we have firmly handled this situation.” he added.
Under Yunus, the attacks on minorities have been relentless, with the Hindu community being the prime target of the Islamist radicals. The religious mobs have targeted the villages, families, and homes of minorities. Yunus had meanwhile stood aside, letting the mobs run rampage across the nation. Over 1000 people have succumbed in the violent clashes so far. Hindus make up only 8 percent of the country’s population. As per reports, there have been more than 2,000 attacks on Hindus since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled from Bangladesh on August 5 this year.
This is not the first time Yunus has downplayed reports of attacks on Hindus in his country. In September, he said that the issue is “exaggerated” and alleged that they are more political than communal. He claimed that the attacks were a fallout of political upheaval as there is a perception that most Hindus supported the ousted Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party.
Donald Trump-Mohd Yunus up against each other
Yunus is also expected to come under intense international pressure as Donald Trump takes charge in the USA. Trump had strongly condemned the barbarity unleashed on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh. He also became the first major US politician to speak up on the issue. In his Diwali greetings, Trump condemned the attack on Hindus in Bangladesh assuring that he would protect the community when in power.
“I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos. It would have never happened on my watch. Kamala and Joe have ignored Hindus across the world and in America.”
“We will also protect Hindu Americans against the anti-religion agenda of the radical left. We will fight for your freedom. Under my administration, we will also strengthen our great partnership with India and my good friend, Prime Minister Modi.”
Now that the Republican leader has been voted in as the US President, it is expected that the United States will adopt a much tougher policy against the Yunus led regime. Yunus’ interim government has enjoyed a good relationship with Joe Biden so far.
Yunus demands extradition of Sheikh Hasina
In the speech, Yunus also demanded the extradition of Sheikh Hasina. Continuing his tirade against Sheikh Hasina, Yunus said, “We must ensure justice in every killing. We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina.” Yunus’ remarks also indicate a U-turn as in an earlier interview with a UK-based newspaper, he had said that his government would not immediately seek Hasina’s extradition from India.
Meanwhile, Yunus also once again failed to give a time frame for the elections that he was supposed to oversee. He instead said that his administration would first bring about reforms in the electoral system and then a roadmap for the new election would be unveiled.