Bangladesh is in a sorry mess and is showing neither any sign of nor even the intention for an early return to effective governance. I use the term 'governance' and not 'democracy' because Bangladesh, in my opinion, was never a 'democracy', given its tumultuous history of assassinations, political arrests of opposition leaders, the all too visible army hand and a theocratic leadership that pretends, most unconvincingly, to be tolerant.
In hindsight, the dramatic ouster of Sheikh Hasina reeks of several causes. The first among these is that of the regime change being engineered by external powers. Not surprisingly, the darling Nobel laureate, Mohammad Yunus, was crowned interim chief adviser. One is left wondering what qualifies this gentleman to don this role other than being the stooge of the regime change perpetrators. Let alone being able to control the situation and announce elections, the interim government is eager to make constitutional changes without any popular mandate.
Second, Hasina, in the absence of credible opposition, had reportedly developed despotic tendencies and aimed to permanently crush all opposition. To her credit, however, she had good working relations with the Indian leadership, the nearest and largest country that can significantly impact the well-being of Bangladesh in more ways than one.
The disillusionment with Hasina resulted in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party returning to the political reckoning once more. Khaleda Zia has been released from house arrest and aspires to occupy Ganabhaban soon, the same official residence that was ransacked by protesting Bangladeshi students leading up to Hasina's hurried exit from the country, facilitated by the Bangladesh Army.
Third, Islamic religious fundamentalism, that has always simmered just below the surface in Bangladesh, has become a full-blown phenomenon with the Jamaat-e-Islami clearly influencing the politico-religious agenda and aligning with the BNP in anticipation of becoming a part of any future ruling coalition. The recent acts of intolerance, violence and desecration against the Hindu community are, therefore, entirely premeditated. The arrest of the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) monks, intimidation tactics against lawyers who could appear in their
defence and spewing of religious hate speeches against Hindus by Bangladeshi Muslim clerics are concrete confirmations of radicalism and religious intolerance. Further, by overtly trying to align with Pakistan, Bangladesh may be entering a free fall towards self-destructive religious extremism.
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Bangladesh has been ungrateful to its tallest leader. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, founder of the Awami League, who would have become the prime minister of undivided Pakistan if the election results of 1971 were honoured, spearheaded the demand for a separate state. Bangladesh was created to break away from a dominant, Urdu-speaking West Pakistan's subjugation of the Bangla-speaking East Pakistan. Mujib was hailed as 'Bangabandhu', the friend of the Bengali population and the undisputed leader of the masses. Mujib and most of his family members were gruesomely assassinated at their Dhaka family residence in 1975. Recently, his statues have been desecrated by unruly mobs and now his image is being erased from currency notes.
India must not just take note of these developments but act swiftly and decisively on many counts. The Indian public is getting restive, as indicated by protests against religious discrimination of Hindus in Bangladesh and the attack on the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Tripura. Bangladesh's political turmoil and hostile attitude towards India should be a prime security concern.
West Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and Mizoram share borders with Bangladesh and hence become frontline states in this unstable environment. There is significant cross-border movement and trade between Bangladesh and the bordering Indian states. Bangladeshis are hugely dependent on India for education, healthcare and business. There are many Bangladeshis residing illegally in India, mostly doing menial jobs. Their influx could be changing electoral demographics in the border states.
It is time for India to take a principled stand on all concerns so that Indian religious sentiments and security interests are not compromised any more. Also, Hasina's prolonged stay in India is not easing matters and a way ahead must be found. It is time for the Union government and border states to act cohesively in the national interest, subordinating local gains.
The Indian foreign secretary is scheduled to visit Dhaka to talk to his counterpart in Bangladesh's interim government. One hopes that he will talk tough and engage all of India's strategic levers.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK
