Bhubaneswar: Former Foreign Secretary of India, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, in an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat, spoke about the ongoing political mayhem in Bangladesh after the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday, August 5, following weeks of deadly protests that began as demonstrations by students against government job quotas but surged into a movement demanding her resignation.
Commenting on India's approach to this crisis and its relation with Bangladesh in the coming days, Shringla said that the situation after the eviction has indeed become 'complicated'.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has brought an end to her 15-year rule after resigning from the post. Bangladesh already had a 30 per cent reservation policy in government jobs for family members of freedom fighters. However, this scheme was strongly opposed by the general students of the country and Hasina decided to scrap the quota system in 2018," he said.
However, Bangladesh's High Court nullified that decision and reinstated the quotas after relatives of 1971 veterans filed petitions, which sparked the student protests, he said.
"After her resignation, Army Chief General Waqar Uj Zaman Hasina announced the formation of an interim government by addressing the people of Bangladesh. Now, CIA backed Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus will Lead Bangladesh’s Army-Backed Interim Government. The situation is vulnerable and we have to be cautious about our steps," he added.
Commenting on the economic ties Bangladesh and India share, he said that one has to remember that Bangladesh is India's 25th largest trading partner and is considered as India's eighth largest export partner in bilateral trade. "It is a major market for Indian automobile exports. Thus, economic instability can prove to be harmful," he said.
When asked if India could possibly be affected by Bangladesh's political crisis, an optimistic Shringla said that India won't bear the brunt of their crisis. "Bangladesh is our neighboring country. We are concerned about the law and order situation there. However, it will not affect India gravely.
Citizens need not get worried as we are keeping a watchful eye on the issue. I presume that we will be able to maintain peaceful and friendly relations with Bangladesh even in future," he added.
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