Last Updated on 11/08/2024 by Arun jain
Monday was a day of fierce violence and arson in Bangladesh. The students’ movement turned violent due to clashes between protesters and government supporters. The crowd became so violent that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had to resign and flee the country. She has reached India and is currently staying at Hindon Airbase. The protesters entered the PM House and demolished the statue of Sheikh Mujibur, the father of the nation of Bangladesh, with a bulldozer. The Indian government is keeping an eye on the situation in the neighboring country. Experts spoke to Aaj Tak about what impact the instability in Bangladesh can have on India and what is going to happen next in Bangladesh.
If an anti-India government comes, tension will increase
Strategic expert Sushant Sarin said, ‘Such situations arise only when no one imagines. If we imagine in advance, then such steps will be taken that you will not see such situations. Since Bangladesh was born, such upheavals happen every 5-10 years, they last for some time and then things get better. But the impact that this uproar leaves behind is not always good.’
He said, ‘India will also be worried that after China and Pakistan, a third front is opening up. If a government comes to power in Bangladesh which has a hateful attitude towards India… like Jamaat-e-Islami is famous for terrorism. Last time when they formed the government with BNP, there was a lot of terrorism in India from their side, in which Pakistan was also involved. In such a situation, if their government comes to power, we will have to see what kind of situation arises. Tension will increase there.’
‘The situation in Bangladesh will remain delicate’
Sushant Sareen said, ‘Will the army, which formed a caretaker government there in 2007 and 2009, form the same kind of government? However, the possibility of that is low. If the army directly forms the government, the impact will be different. It will not be acceptable to many people. How long will that government last, then there will be elections, the government will be formed, what form it will take, even the people of Bangladesh do not know this. The situation in Bangladesh will remain delicate for some time but Bangladesh will not be completely disintegrated. The disturbance will calm down but it is difficult to say which way it will turn.’
Many questions before Bangladesh
Sushant Sareen said, ‘According to the latest news, some names have been announced. The interim government that will be formed has three-four army officers, some judges, some academics, a Hindu has also been included. No one has a fundamentalist image. Will those who have been selected for the interim government be acceptable? If they are, when will the elections be held? Will there be elections or will this government run for one or two years?’
‘These are not good days for Bangladesh’
He said, ’10 billion dollars have been lost. That too at a time when Bangladesh is already in an IMF program. There were economic problems. There was inflation, unemployment was also increasing. The economic situation will not improve now because Bangladesh is an export economy which will be affected. Because now a lot of goods that need to be sent will not be able to be sent. The industry comes to a standstill, all business stops, deadlines are missed. That will be a different turmoil that will be seen in the future. So the situation is not good and will not remain good for the coming weeks and months. Its effect will remain for a long time. These are not good days for Bangladesh.’
‘India will keep a close eye on Bangladesh’
On the role of the Indian government, former diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar said, ‘There is still a lot of uncertainty. I believe that India’s attitude will be that this is an internal matter of Bangladesh. It is true that Sheikh Hasina has had good relations with India. There have been good relations between the two countries since her father’s time. Since 2009, when Sheikh Hasina came to power, it was a golden time for relations between India and Bangladesh. We will say that this is an internal matter of Bangladesh. India will keep a very close eye on the developments there. The army chief there repeatedly mentioned the ‘interim government’ in his address. The army does not want to take power in its own hands and run the government. That is why we have to see who becomes the interim Prime Minister.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)