New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar asked people to remain vigilant against narratives which are drawing parallel between the Bangladesh crisis and India. He asked people to be alert after Congress leader Salman Khurshid made a statement that “what happened in Bangladesh can happen in India.” The Rajya Sabha Chairman (Dhankar) expressed shock at the parallel being drawn between the 2 South Asian neighbours.
Dhankar’s concern and warning to people
Speaking at a function to mark the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur, the Vice President said, “Be on watch out. Efforts by some to infuse a narrative that what happened in our neighbourhood is bound to happen in our Bharat, is deeply concerning. How can a citizen of this country, having been a Member of Parliament, and the other who has seen enough of Foreign Service take no time in saying that what happened in the neighbourhood will happen in India.”
Be on watch out!!
Efforts by some to infuse a narrative that what happened in our neighbourhood is bound to happen in our Bharat, is deeply concerning.
How can a citizen of this country having been a Member of Parliament, and the other who has seen enough of Foreign Service… pic.twitter.com/MWEoz1Ao1C
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) August 10, 2024
The remark was made referring to Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s statement earlier that what is happening in Bangladesh (a students’ protest against the Sheikh Hasina regime) can also occur in India. He had remarked at a book release function that “everything may look normal on the surface, what is happening in Bangladesh could happen in India.”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was also present at the function. Reacting to Khurshid’s statement he had said that he could not explain what his party colleague (Khurshid) meant exactly by the statement, but that probably the larger message which he wanted to convey was about the importance of democracy and free and fair elections.
Meanwhile the BJP immediately pounced upon the statement and attacked the COngress party and Khurshid personally. Party leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy termed the remarks “anarchist”.
Bangladesh crisis
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country after massive protests against her rule. She had been ruling the country for the past 15 years. Her rule was characterised by arrest of opposition leaders, crackdowns on free speech and suppression of dissent.
The latest unrest to have hit the country was over a quota system in government jobs. Students wanted an end to this and ultimately threw Hasina out of power. More than 450 people have been killed in the unrest that have rocked Bangladesh, ever since the PM left the country. Currently an interim government backed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is in charge of the country. They are backed by Bangladesh’s Army.
