Bangladesh: What are India's expectations from interim government led by Muhammad Yunus?

Muhammad Yunus is the head of the new interim government of Bangladesh. Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize, is known as the 'Banker of the Poor' in Bangladesh.

Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, pulled thousands of Bangladeshis out of the cycle of poverty in rural areas through microfinance. His work was followed by more than 100 countries of the world.

84-year-old Yunus is taking charge of Bangladesh at a time when political instability is at its peak. Incidents of looting and violence against minority Hindus are being reported in the country.

We hope that normalcy will be restored soon: Modi

After Mohammad Yunus was sworn in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him and said, "My best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on assuming his new responsibility. We hope that normalcy will be restored soon, ensuring the safety of Hindus and all other minority communities."

Modi said, "India is committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of the people of both countries for peace, security and development."

Mohammad Yunus has said, "There should be very good relationship between us and India and not a relationship in which both of us view each other with suspicion."

BNP unhappy with India hosting ousted PM

But Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main rival of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party, is clearly unhappy with India hosting the ousted Prime Minister after she fled Dhaka and arrived here on Monday.

Veteran BNP functionary Gayeshwar Roy, who was a minister in the BNP-led govt in 1991, and is a member of the party's standing committee, its highest decision-making forum, said, "BNP believes Bangladesh and India must have mutual cooperation. The Indian government should understand this and behave on this basis. But if you work with our enemy, it will be difficult to respect this mutual cooperation." 

As soon as Professor Yunus took the oath, PM Narendra Modi immediately congratulated him, this shows that India wants to work with whoever is in power in Bangladesh. Whenever Professor Yunus has come to India, he has received respect. 

Yunus has been a staunch critic of the Sheikh Hasina government. The Sheikh Hasina government has had good relations with the Indian government, so people are making various speculations. 

Both countries need each other

But if we look at the geographical location of India and Bangladesh, both countries need each other. India has a huge investment in Bangladesh and if we talk about Bangladesh, whoever is in power there, it will have to keep economic development at the center. In such a situation, India will stand with whichever government brings political stability in Bangladesh.