Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden had a telephonic conversation on August 26. Statements were issued by both countries after this conversation. The only difference between the statements of both countries was that India said that Modi-Biden also discussed the issue of Bangladesh. The statement issued by the White House did not even mention Bangladesh. According to the India’s External Affairs Ministry, the two leaders expressed concern over the issue of Bangladesh and emphasized on re-establishing law and order to ensure the security of minorities, especially Hindus. There have also been reactions from India to Bangladesh on this issue.
There is a lot of debate on why the US remained silent on India’s statements. Congress leader Pawan Khera wrote on social media that if our Prime Minister raised the issue of security of minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, why didn’t Joe Biden feel the need to mention it in a press note? This was the question raised by Kheda. Responding to this, Kanchan Gupta, advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, wrote that Kheda is misrepresenting the conversation between Biden and Modi. There was a discussion on whatever was said in the Government of India’s press note. It also includes a discussion on the situation in Bangladesh. Former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal wrote on X that the White House statement did not indicate Bangladesh. The security of minorities, especially Hindus, was not even mentioned.
The US has missed another opportunity to raise concerns about the security of Bangladesh’s minority Hindus. America only cares about minorities in India. It is clear that America believes that minority Hindus in Bangladesh are safe and the reports of their plight are not true. America was not in favour of creating Bangladesh. Even today, America and India are not in agreement on the issue of Bangladesh. The US welcomed the change of power in Bangladesh but remained silent on human rights violations, attacks on minorities, forced resignations and arrests of leaders. Some people also pointed a finger at the US for major political changes in Bangladesh. When the general elections were held in Bangladesh, the US said that the elections were not fair. According to media reports, last year India had warned the US that American pressure on the issue of free and fair elections could push Bangladesh closer to China and this would affect the region. This was in August 2023. A year later, there was a change of power in Bangladesh after violent protests.
In April 2023, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, had said in the Parliament, without naming the US, that she could overthrow the government of any country if she wanted to. Hasina made this statement when the then Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Dr Momin, was on a visit to the US. Meanwhile, Antony Blinken said that America wants to see free and fair elections in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina also accused America of harbouring criminals. Recently, when Sheikh Hasina lost power, her son Sajib Wajid spoke about the role of western countries. Wajid said that America is involved in this, but there is no evidence of it. However, a closer look at the situation reveals that the protesters had been incited against the government.
In 2021 and 2023, the US did not include Bangladesh in the Democratic Conference. According to experts, the United States was annoyed about many things happening in Bangladesh. In December 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on Bangladesh’s paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion and several of its senior officers. In May 2023, the United States also warned of visa restrictions on people trying to influence Bangladesh’s electoral process. Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, who is the Chief Adviser of the interim government in Bangladesh, has had talks with Prime Minister Modi and the two leaders also discussed the security of minority Hindus. However, due to the floods in Bangladesh, the differences with India are coming to the fore. Some organisations in Bangladesh have claimed that the water released from the dams in Tripura has caused the flooding in their country. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has issued a statement denying these allegations. Now the American news channel CNN is covering the floods in Bangladesh. In these reports, citing claims made by people, India has been held responsible for the floods. India has rejected these claims and India has not apologised, the reporter said.