Nobel laureate and chief advisor to the interim government in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus said on Thursday that reports of attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh were "not communal" and that is what was told to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The chief advisor also said the issue was exaggerated.
Speaking with news agency PTI at his official residence in Dhaka, Muhammad Yunus said that the issue was more political than communal, while suggesting it was a fallout from a political upheaval due to the largely-accepted perception that most Hindus supported the Awami League regime.
"These attacks are political in nature and not communal. And India is propagating these incidents in a big way. We have not said that we can't do anything; we have said that we are doing everything," the chief adviser said.
Muhammad Yunus said, "I have said this to Modi also that this is exaggerated. This issue has several dimensions. When the country went through an upheaval following the atrocities by Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League, those who were with them also faced attacks.
Attacks on the houses and businesses belonging to the Hindu community began following the student-led anti-government protests that paralysed Bangladesh after the ouster of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Some temples were said to be vandalised in Bangladesh.
Anti-government protests led by students reached its peak on August 5, forcing Hasina to resign as prime minister and flee to India in a deal brokered by India.
"Now, while beating up Awami League cadres they had beaten up Hindus because it is a perception that Hindus in Bangladesh mean Awami League supporters. I am not saying that what has happened is right but some people are using it as an excuse to seize property. So there is no clear distinction between Awami League supporters and Hindus," he said.
No sooner had Muhammad Yunus taken over the mantle of Bangladesh's interim government than he sent across the message to PM Narendra Modi that Dhaka would protect and safeguard the Hindus, as indeed all other minority communities.
Read also| Russia Issues Warning to US: Don’t Cross 'Red Lines' on Ukraine Issue
Read also| Iran Rejects Western Allegations of Involvement in Ukraine Crisis
