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Sheikh Hasina's Delhi address leaves Bangladesh ‘shocked, surprised’: 'Allowing it…'
Sheikh Hasina, speaking from India earlier this week, accused the interim government of violence and oppression, urging citizens to rise against it.
Responding to ousted former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's fiery first public address from India, where she lives in exile, country's interim government on Sunday feared her remarks could spark political instability ahead of the general elections slated to take place on February 12.
Sounding caution, Bangladesh's interim government said allowing Hasina to speak in Delhi “sets a dangerous precedent vis-a-vis the future of Bangladesh-India relations”.
In her first public address from India, Sheikh Hasina on Friday called on citizens to rise up against the interim administration headed by Muhammad Yunus, saying that it is incapable of delivering free and fair elections.
She raised serious allegations against the Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh, accusing it of allowing violence, torture, attacks on minorities and sexual assault against women.
Bangladesh's counter
Expressing concern over deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina being allowed to address a public gathering in India, Bangladesh interim government said on Sunday her remarks could affect the country's political stability ahead of the general elections.
In a statement issued in Dhaka, carried by state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sanstha (BSS) news agency, the Bangladeshi foreign ministry said it was "surprised" and "shocked" that Hasina was permitted to speak at a public event in New Delhi and make political comments against the interim government, the state-run BSS news agency reported.
Listen to Hasina's address here
"This clearly endangers Bangladesh's democratic transition and peace and security," said the foreign ministry statement.
Bangladesh's big caution
The foreign ministry added that India is yet to act on “obligations” to send Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh under the extradition treaty, for the death sentence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) given to her last year to her for ordering the use of lethal force while cracking down on the protests in August 2024.
"Bangladesh is deeply aggrieved that while India is yet to act on her obligations to hand Sheikh Hasina over to Bangladesh under the bilateral extradition agreement despite repeated requests by the Bangladesh Government, she has instead been allowed to make such inciteful pronouncements from its own soil," the Bangladeshi government stated.
Allowing the event in the New Delhi and permitting what was described as “hate speech” Bangladeshi foreign ministry said is “contrary to the norms of inter-state relations, including respect for sovereignty, non-interference and good neighbourliness, and constituted a clear affront to the people and the Government of Bangladesh.”
"It sets a dangerous precedent vis-a-vis the future of Bangladesh-India relations and may seriously impair the ability of the future elected polity in Bangladesh to engage, shape and nurture mutually beneficial bilateral relations," said the statement.
It further said the incitements by the Awami League leadership demonstrated why the Interim Government had banned the party's activities
"Bangladesh would hold this outfit responsible for committing incidents of violence and terror in the run up to the elections and on the election day, and will take appropriate actions to foil its evil conspiracies," said the statement.
What Hasina said in first public address from India
In her first public address to a gathering in India since fleeing Dhaka, the Awami League leader focused much of her criticism on Yunus, accusing him of failing to stop what she termed a "monstrous onslaught of extremist communal forces and foreign perpetrators".
She said, "The murderous fascist Yunus, a usurer, a money launderer, a plunderer, and a corrupt, power-hungry traitor, has bled our nation dry with his all-consuming paradigms, staining the soul of our motherland."
She alleged that Bangladesh had been "plunged into an age of terror" after "Yunus and his anti-state militant accomplices" removed her government through a "meticulously engineered conspiracy" in August 2024, though she offered no evidence to support the claim.
"Democracy is now in exile. Human rights have been trampled into the dust. Freedom of the press has been extinguished. Violence, torture, and sexual assault against women and girls remain unchecked," she said. "Religious minorities face continuous persecution. Law and order have collapsed," she added.
She also said Bangladesh should urge the United Nations to conduct a "truly impartial investigation" into the events of the past year and urged the people to rise unitedly to "restore" the constitution and protect the religious minorities.
Hasina's message in a pre-recorded audio clip was played out at an event in New Delhi, and it came a day after campaigning for the February 12 parliamentary elections began in Bangladesh. The Awami League party has been barred from contesting the polls.
