New Delhi does not endorse the criticism of the interim government in Dhaka by deposed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on Wednesday, The Hindu reported.
Misri also told the committee headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor that this issue remained a minor point of tension in the relationship between New Delhi and Dhaka.
The foreign secretary met the committee after visiting Dhaka on Monday.
Hasina resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister and fled to India on August 5 amid protests against her Awami League government. Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus took over as the head of an interim government on August 8.
Following the collapse, several incidents of violence against religious minorities were reported in Bangladesh. Tensions escalated in the past few weeks after three Hindu monks were arrested on charges of sedition and several Hindu temples came under attack.
On December 4, Hasina, in a video message for an event in New York, alleged that Yunus was failing to safeguard religious minorities in Bangladesh and accused him of committing a “genocide” in the country.
On Wednesday, Misri told the committee that Hasina was using “private communication devices” to make her remarks and claimed that the Indian government was not involved in providing her with a platform or resources to conduct her political activities from Indian soil, according to The Hindu.
Misri also said that during his visit to Dhaka on Monday, he told the interim government that India’s relationship with Bangladesh went beyond “a particular political party” or a particular government.
India prioritised its relationship with the people of Bangladesh and would engage with the current government in power, he added.
Misri’s visit to Dhaka on Monday was the first high-level diplomatic meeting between India and Bangladesh since August 5. He conveyed New Delhi’s concerns about the safety of religious minorities in Bangladesh to Mohammad Jashim Uddin, his counterpart in Dhaka.
Misri also met Yunus on Monday evening.
At the meeting with the committee on Wednesday, Misri said that the Bangladeshi government had started taking action regarding attacks on religious minorities after his discussion with Uddin, reported The Indian Express.
He also said that the situation appeared to be improving. However, Dhaka was upset about the “overblown media narrative” about it in India, Misri added.
India was assured of the protection of religious minorities in Bangladesh, the foreign secretary said, adding that New Delhi remained hopeful of stronger ties with the neighbouring country.
He added that early elections were anticipated in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh on Tuesday said that 88 cases had been filed in connection with the violence targeting religious minorities in the country between August 5 and October 22.
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