India is watching closely as Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus is set to lead the interim government in Bangladesh. Globally known as the "banker to the poor", Yunus calls himself the "number one enemy" of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladesh plunged into a crisis following mass violence over a job quota in the country. Hasina, consequently, resigned as the Bangladesh prime minister, leading to political instability in the country.
Now, as a new regime takes shape in Bangladesh, what does the Muhammad Yunus-led government mean for India?
Yunus said on Tuesday that the relationship between India and Bangladesh should be the "best of friends rather than being looking at each other with suspicion". He said in an interview with Times Now, "I explain your [India's] relationship with the people of Bangladesh. Let them [Bangladeshis] choose their leaders and you work with the leaders."
"That's how people are connected. And our relationship should be the best of relations, the best of friends rather than looking at each other with suspicion," he said.
Muhammad Yunus's name first made headlines in India when he said he was "hurt" by India's response to the Bangladesh protest and violence. He had told the Indian Express, "When India says it’s internal affairs, it hurts me. If there is a fire in the brother’s house, how can I say it is an internal affair? Diplomacy has a much richer vocabulary than saying it is their internal affair."
There might be a problem if former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) joins the new government. The party is primarily believed to be "anti-India". During Zia's leadership, India has faced cross-border terrorism issues.
Indian political leaders have raised concerns over cross-border terrorism and illegal migration. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma recently voiced the possibility of Bangladesh becoming a safe ground for terrorist activities in the future.
"During the time of Sheikh Hasina, all terrorist groups from the north-east were removed from Bangladesh. For us, it will be a matter of concern. Once again, it will be our concern that Bangladesh must not become a safe haven for such terrorists. I hope the Indian government will stay in constant touch with whichever government is formed there," the Assam chief minister said on Wednesday.
He also called for security along the Indo-Bangladesh border, saying, "If such unrest continues in Bangladesh, then some people will be forced to come to India. So we have to secure our borders."
Countering terrorism had been one of the focal points of concern between Indian governments and Hasina’s regime.
Besides, Zia's son Tarique Rahman was reportedly the man behind the 'India Out' campaign that began in the country following Hasina's return as prime minister earlier this year. Reports suggested that Rahman, residing in exile in London, orchestrated the 'India Out' campaign from abroad.
Now, Khaleda Zia, who was under house arrest, was released soon after her rival Hasina's resignation as the PM. Moreover, her son Rahman is likely to return to Bangladesh, Business Today reported.
Meanwhile, several reports emerged about the attacks on minorities and temples in Bangladesh amid the violence after Hasina's resignation. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday that Hindus were being selectively targeted in Bangladesh.
Reacting to the reports of "atrocities" against minorities in Bangladesh, Yunus alleged that Hasina's propaganda was behind them but refused to "brush aside" these reports completely.
He said on Tuesday, "This is again something that Hasina feeds you so that you can get attracted to us in a negative way. Young people are busy on the streets. They are not burning temples. Many of these leaders of the student community are Hindu students. They are not all Muslim students ..they are partners; they are the ones working together day and night...this is just to distract them so that you can support her."
When asked if the reports on attacks on minorities are fake, Yunus said, “Don't brush these reports aside; just go and investigate and find out the real situation because she [Hasina] says all kinds of things. She does it herself and blames it on somebody else.”
Authorities in Dhaka have assured that an interim government is in the making, which will be headed by Muhammad Yunus as the chief adviser. In a video posted on social media early Tuesday, Nahid Islam, one of the key coordinators of the student movement, suggested Yunus as the head of the interim government.
Yunus reportedly "didn't agree at first", but later said according to a Daily Star report, "If the students can sacrifice so much, if the people of the country can sacrifice so much, then I also have some responsibility. Then I told the students that I can take the responsibility." Yunus, who is in Paris now, is likely to return to Bangladesh on Thursday, local media reported.
Yunus welcomed the ouster of Hasina's regime, describing the development as the "second liberation" of the country. On Wednesday, he urged the youth in Bangladesh to not indulge in "senseless violence".
He was quoted by local media as saying, "Let us make the best use of our new victory. Let us not let this slip away because of our mistakes...Violence is our enemy. Please don't create more enemies. Be calm and get ready to build the country."
Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his anti-poverty campaign through Grameen Bank, a mode that was replicated across continents. He has been hailed for bringing thousands out of poverty through Grameen Bank, which he founded in 1983. The bank offers small loans to businesspeople who wouldn't qualify for regular bank loans.
He had faced corruption charges during Hasina's rule that he derided as politically motivated.
