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Bangladesh appeared to be rattled by what Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in an interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief, Rahul Joshi, about the country's Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. On Sunday, Bangladesh claimed that Singh's comments against Yunus were "incorrect" and “not respectful of propriety and diplomatic nicety”.
Dhaka went on to emphasise that it continues to remain committed to a mutually beneficial relationship with India. "We consider that Singh's comments are incorrect and unhelpful and not respectful of propriety and diplomatic nicety," Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson SM Mahbubul Alam said in a statement.
In an exclusive conversation with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh urged Yunus to “watch his words”. "We do not seek tense relations with Bangladesh, but Yunus should be cautious with his statements," Singh told Joshi, when asked about Yunus' provocative remarks and actions by India.
Responding to Singh's comments, Alam maintained that Bangladesh remains committed to a "mutually beneficial relationship with India", which should be based on sovereign equality, non-interference in each other's affairs, and mutual respect. "Bangladesh also believes that differences in perspectives are best addressed through constructive and respectful engagement," Alam averred.
In the interview aired on Friday, Singh maintained that India does not want a rift with Bangladesh. “India can handle any kind of challenge, though we aim to maintain good relations with our neighbours,” he said.
Yunus's provocative rhetoric against India
Tensions between India and Pakistan started brewing after violent protests toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. Nobel Prize Winner Yunus took over the reins as the country’s interim chief advisor after Hasina left the country and is currently in India.
Since coming to power, Yunus has been pushing provocative rhetoric against India. Recently, he stirred a storm after he presented a controversial artwork to Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Chairman General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and a visiting Turkish parliamentary delegation.
Interesting, not once did Alam reject the report that Yunus shared a problematic artwork with both the Pakistani general and the Turkish delegation. The Bangladesh interim chief advisor gifted Art of Triumph to a five-member Turkish parliamentary delegation led by Mehmet Akif Yılmaz, earlier this week, while they were visiting Dhaka. According to The Dhaka Tribune, the book is a collection of graffiti drawn by students and youth during and after the student-led protests in the country last August.
However, as per News18, the artwork outlines a “Greater Bangladesh" plan that incorporates India’s northeastern states, especially Assam, into Bangladesh’s future strategic vision. Unnamed sources told News18 that the book presented by Yunus included “battle plans" and “post-victory management frameworks," with the alleged aim to transform Assam into a “productive and viable region" under Dhaka’s influence.
“This was not an art display but a message — one directed at specific transnational Islamist networks that see Bangladesh’s interim regime as part of a wider strategic consolidation," the source said. Hence, Yunus’s recent actions and statements have deteriorated decades-long ties between India and Bangladesh.
