It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who brought out the continuing persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh in his message to Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, following Yunus's appointment as head of an interim government in the troubled country. There is no mention of violence against Hindus or other minority groups in Bangladesh in the message of the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The omission gave the BJP an opportunity to mount an attack on Gandhi and the Congress for allegedly being insensitive to the plight of Hindus despite numerous and serious abuses that they suffer from.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur asked on Friday, "Why does the Leader of Opposition speak at length on the issue of the Gaza conflict, yet keeps mum on the violence on Hindus in Bangladesh.".
Modi in his congratulatory message to Prof Yunus, hoped for a quick return to stability and protection for all minority communities, including Hindus. "We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development, said Modi on X.".
Rahul Gandhi's message to the new interim government of Bangladesh found no words to express concern about the safety of Hindus. "A quick resolution of peace and normalcy is the hour's need," he wrote on X.
This stands in absolute contrast to the busy social media posts of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi on the Israel-Gaza conflict. While the leaders had made elaborate posts detailing the sufferings of people in the war zone, their silence over the plight of Hindu minorities has been questioned by the BJP.
The BJP has accused the Congress party of overlooking issues pertaining to Hindus who are in a minority. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala termed it "Real Hindu vs Reel Hindu", while C.R. Kesavan termed it as Congress' naked hypocrisy. He contrasted their response in the Gaza situation against their muted silence over the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh.
The Indian government has expressed concerns over the safety of its missions and personnel in Bangladesh and has temporarily suspended visa operations in view of the unrest. The violence in Bangladesh, which also included vandalism of Hindu homes, business establishments, and temples, increased manifold after the removal of Sheikh Hasina from her position, amidst unrest over a proposed quota system for job reservations.
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