From anti-India sentiment to evacuation, S Jaishankar briefs MPs on Bangladesh
The minister said around 8,000 Indians, mostly students, had returned to India in the wake of the protests over a controversial quota system for government jobs.
S Jaishankar, addressing an all-party meeting in Parliament, said there was no cause for concern on the Bangladesh border and the government had a discussion with Sheikh Hasina.
Dr Jaishankar said the situation in Bangladesh was not that alarming to require the evacuation of the 12,000-13,000 Indians in the violence-hit country, sources said.
Jaishankar will also speak on the issue in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Aug 6 in what is likely to be a suo motto statement.
At the all-party meeting, Jaishankar said the government was keeping a close watch on the situation in Bangladesh following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government over anti-government protests that have killed more than 300 people.
The meeting was attended by all NDA allies and most opposition parties, including leaders of the opposition in both the Houses, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Jaishankar said the government had a brief discussion with Hasina, who resigned as Prime Minister and fled to India on Monday. "The government wants to give Hasina some time to decide her future plan," sources quoted Jaishankar as saying.
Dr Jaishankar also said the situation was "fluid and developing". On an apparent anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh, Dr Jaishankar said,
"It has been seen in some places but whichever government comes will deal with India."
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi later told reporters: "Whatever is happening in Bangladesh, it will affect India as well. Bangladesh is our border nation... if anarchy happens in Bangladesh it won't be good for India. The government should look at how Indians there can be brought back and how borders can be secured."
Khaleda Zia to walk out of jail as 'rival Begum' Sheikh Hasina flees Bangladesh
Hours after Sheikh Hasina stepped down as Prime Minister, Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the immediate release of ex-PM Khaleda Zia, Hasina's biggest opponent.
The situation in Bangladesh remains volatile, with violence continuing in the wake of Sheikh Hasina’s departure. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that all government and private offices, factories, and educational institutions would reopen on Tuesday.
"You’ve had policemen beaten to death, 13 just yesterday. So what do you expect the police to do when mobs are beating people to death?” her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy told BBC defending the use of force against the protesters.
He was an official adviser to the prime minister of Bangladesh.
“She [Hasina] has turned Bangladesh around. When she took over power, it was considered a failing state. It was a poor country. Until today, it was considered one of the rising tigers of Asia," he said, adding, "She’s very disappointed.”
The garment industry saw tremendous growth under Hasina, and it boosted the overall economy.
Since 2009, when Hasina came to power, Bangladesh's economy has grown by an average of over 6% annually and pulled millions out of poverty.
Despite the economic progress, there was latent discontent among people over her strict rule. There were questions regarding the fairness of the elections that made her return to power. That is what turned the quota protests, leveraged by the opposition, into an agitation to end her rule.
Joy told the BBC there would be no political comeback for his mother because she was "so disappointed that, after all her hard work, for a minority to rise up against her". However, experts always advice politicians to never use the word "never".
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