DHAKA, Bangladesh: Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday urged the country’s politicians to keep differences at bay and unite to counter “Indian aggression”.
The South Asian nation saw a student-led uprising in August, toppling autocratic premier Sheikh Hasina and ending her 15-year rule.
“They (India) are undermining our efforts to build a new Bangladesh and are spreading fictitious stories,” Yunus told a gathering of Bangladeshi political parties. “They have spread these rumours in particular countries and among influential players.”
Yunus urged politicians at the meeting to unite against what he characterised as a disinformation campaign, describing the matter as “a question of our existence”.
A caretaker administration headed by Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been tasked with enacting democratic reforms ahead of fresh elections. It has accused India of running a “propaganda campaign” against the country.
Wednesday’s meeting, Yunus’s media team said, was part of an initiative to promote national unity in the face of “Indian aggression”. Yunus also met with student leaders on Tuesday evening.
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Numerous street demonstrations have been staged against India in Bangladesh since Hasina’s ouster as diplomatic relations have cratered.
Several rallies were held on Wednesday to protest against an attempt by Hindu activists this week to storm a Bangladeshi consulate in an Indian city not far from the neighbours’ shared border.
India has condemned the breach and arrested seven people over the incident. – AFP
