External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, addressing an all-party meeting, on Tuesday 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 is also scheduled to speak on the issue in the Lok Sabha at 3.30 pm today.
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. However, the AAP claimed it was not invited to the meeting.
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.
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.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said there should be a medium and long-term strategy, with Bangladesh set to be ruled by an interim government until elections are held. Student protesters have demanded Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus be the chief adviser of the government.
To this, Jaishankar said the situation was “fluid and developing”. On an apparent anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh, Jaishankar said, “It has been seen in some places but whichever government comes will deal with India.”
After Sheikh Hasina secured a fourth consecutive term in power earlier this year, an ‘India out’ campaign gained momentum in Bangladesh, with a section of activists accusing India of interfering in its neighbour’s politics.
After the meeting, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “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.”
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