The leader of Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, vehemently disagreed with India's argument that, in Sheikh Hasina's absence, Bangladesh will become another Afghanistan and urged that country to focus on mending its bilateral relations instead.
Yunus questioned how India was portraying these incidents and said that the attacks on Bangladesh's minority Hindu population are "more political than communal."
He said in an interview with news agency PTI, "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 attacks on Hindus took place amid the student-led violence that broke out after Hasina left the country on August 5. These attacks included the destruction of Hindu temples and vandalism of businesses and properties.
Following Hasina's removal, Yunus, who was named the nation's Chief Adviser, reaffirmed that attacks against minorities are "exaggerated" and that the events are more likely the result of political unrest than acts of communal violence.
The Nobel laureate also exhorted India to abandon the myth that Bangladesh is only safe in Sheikh Hasina's capable hands.
He said, "The way forward is for India to come out of the narrative. The narrative is that everybody is Islamist, BNP is Islamist, and everyone else is Islamist and will make this country into Afghanistan. And Bangladesh is in safe hands with Sheikh Hasina at the helm only. India is captivated by this narrative. India needs to come out of this narrative. Bangladesh, like any other nation, is just another neighbour."
