Yunus had no plans to visit India before China: Former diplomat

New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) Veena Sikri, a former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, on Wednesday stated that reports of Bangladesh interim government's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus desiring to visit India before China are incorrect as he has not expressed any such interest in the recent past.

Speaking to IANS on the sidelines of a two-day conference in New Delhi on 'Implications of the Political Turmoil in Bangladesh', the former diplomat stated that, unlike many countries, India always wants to maintain a good relationship with its neighbours.

"Yunus has expressed no interest in visiting India. He has never asked to visit India. In fact, even his foreign advisor Touhid Hossain has already been to China and shown no interest in visiting India. They have expressed no interest in seriously discussing any of the so-called problems, which they are saying are problems between India and Bangladesh, but then they should be discussed," she Sikri.

Asserting that India and Bangladesh are very important neighbours, the former diplomat stated India has always wanted to have a good relationship with Bangladesh as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first leaders to send a message after the formation of the interim government in the country, last August. India wished them well and expressed a desire to continue the relationship.

"At the same time, India has also raised concerns about the condition of minorities in Bangladesh under the Yunus-led interim government. It has gone from bad to worse," she said.

Sikri stated that there is a complete degradation of the law and order situation in Bangladesh with the economic situation of the country also very volatile currently.

"I think the internal situation in Bangladesh is very chaotic. Even though the army has been given magistracy and police powers, the law and order situation remains disastrous and they are not able to control the situation at all.

"The economic situation remains disastrous. There is a complete shortage of commodities, there is very high inflation, the garment factories which are the mainstay of Bangladesh exports are closing one by one. Hundreds of factories are closing and people are losing their jobs," she added.

In the midst of this, the former diplomat said, there is complete turmoil in the relationship between the army and student groups. Commenting on the National Citizens Party formed by the student group, Sikri said that these are not students but a "B-team" of the radical outfit Jamaat–e–Islami. They are talking openly about waging war on India and creating a chaotic situation in Bangladesh.

Sikri also mentioned that the current regime wants to eradicate the Awami League as the political vote bank of 40 per cent is still intact for Sheikh Hasina’s party.

"There is internal disturbance in Bangladesh. They have not settled down and have not been able to control the situation in Bangladesh. People are very unhappy. Students themselves are very unhappy. The media has been gagged, suppressed, and a lot of senior journalists are in jail on murder charges. So there exists a very tumultuous, volatile situation and we are watching it carefully," she concluded.

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