India’s Message to Yunus

After a period of silence post her exile to India, deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been issuing regular statements criticising the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The obvious question arises as to whether she is doing so with the permission, or even approval, of the Indian government. Indeed, it is reasonable to surmise that she will act in a way that causes any discomfort to her hosts. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri skirted the issue during an interaction with the parliamentary committee on external affairs headed by Shashi Tharoor, saying the leader was using private means of communication. Some Bangladesh media outlets interpreted this to mean that India did not endorse the critical videos Hasina has been posting. The situation is, however, a little more complicated. It is clear that if the Indian government felt unhappy about the former prime minister’s statements, it would have brought this to her notice. On the contrary, Hasina continues to issue recorded statements, the latest released on the eve of the anniversary of the surrender of Pakistani forces in Dhaka slamming Yunus for being in cahoots with extremist and communal forces. The reference was clearly to the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami that opposed the liberation of the nation and aided Pakistani armed forces in committing atrocities against civilians, including students. India is very concerned about attacks on Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh and has urged the Yunus administration to address the matter urgently and ensure arrested ISKCON spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das is able to access his legal rights. The fact that Hasina’s recordings are being broadcast unhindered, is a message the interim government and its military backers cannot miss. As Hasina continues to live in India under the protection of the Modi government, she can well be a rallying point against the current regime in Bangladesh. It is something Bangladesh’s current rulers need to keep in mind when they consider India’s requests to protect minorities.

Goodbye to Garcetti 

The attention of foreign policy commentators in India is fixed on the incoming Trump team, but there is one development that pertains to the situation at home that is being keenly anticipated. US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti has managed to tread on many toes during his relatively short stay in New Delhi. His extensive commentary on the case relating to the US-based Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun—which ignored Pannun’s open calls for violence against Indian diplomats and citizens—injected a note of unpredictability in India-US ties, even though the Indian government chose to ignore the intervention. It took Garcetti some time to speak up on the travails of the Hindu population in Bangladesh and when he did, his remarks were loaded. The ambassador said the US has been clear that “…around the world, religious minorities must be protected, no matter what country they live in. That’s a cornerstone not only of democracy but of peace in the world.” He went on to add: “We’re working very closely as we always have in South Asia, Bangladesh and here in India to make sure that those voices are never excluded and we hope that will continue.” The question was about Bangladesh, but Garcetti chose to hyphenate his answer with an unnecessary reference to India. It would not be too soon to bid goodbye to Garcetti, perhaps not long after Donald Trump assumes office.

Back to Being Raja 

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham leader A Raja is no stranger to controversy. During the Lok Sabha election, he had found himself fending off queries over his comments on Sanatana Dharma, which he compared to HIV. At least a section of the electorate in his Nilgiris constituency was not amused and the MP had to tread with care, dodging questions by saying the matter was in the courts. In the end, Raja won his election by more than 2.4 lakh votes. But BJP’s L Murugan polled nearly 23 per cent of the votes, much more than what might have been anticipated. The combined BJP-AIADMK vote is less than Raja’s tally but Tamil nationalist outfit NTK’s 5.7 per cent vote certainly helped Raja win. Now that elections are over, Raja is back to his combative, confrontationist self, provoking BJP benches in Lok Sabha claiming that a top party leader had spoken of changing the Constitution. When he wants, Raja can make a telling point. But it was clear that his speech during the recent discussion on 75 years of the Constitution in Parliament was more intended to attract attention and trigger a showdown with BJP rather than setting out meaningful content or argumentation.

Delhi’s Electoral Clean-up 

Though elections to the Delhi Assembly are due only in February, politics in the capital is heating up. The Aam Aadmi Party is crying foul over what it claims are “deletions” in the electoral roll, saying this is being done at the behest of BJP. State BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva is determined that the roll be examined in each constituency before the election as there are suspicions of fake and duplicate voters. The complaints regarding voter lists are being filed by many entities and the Election Commission itself is committed to updating its rolls to ensure persons who have moved out of a locality or are not verifiable are not voters. The city’s teeming slums and jhuggis are roosting spots for illegals who are ineligible to be voters. While BJP is closely watching the “clean-up” of the voters’ list, it has also embarked on an extensive outreach in slums, assuring people that it is not insensitive to their concerns and will not halt benefits if it wins, as is being claimed by AAP leaders. AAP does have a stronghold in slums and unauthorised colonies, but these areas did suffer a lot during the summer months when then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was in jail and did not delegate authority to any cabinet minister.

Safety Award for Ram Mandir 

The Ram Mandir project in Ayodhya has won the prestigious Sword of Honour award given by the British Safety Council—a prestigious accolade in safety management. British Safety Council audits processes, practices and on-site activity. Only projects that achieve a five-star grade are eligible to vie for the Sword of Honour award. Earlier, Larsen & Toubro, responsible for the construction of the temple, received the Golden Trophy awarded by the National Safety Council for its stellar record during the construction of the Ram Temple. The project combines cultural heritage with engineering brilliance. According to the Ramjanmabhoomi Trust, the construction of the first and second floor, including the shikhar or tower of the temple, along with other temples, is in the last phase of construction with likely completion by June 2025. The marble statues of Shri Ram Darbar and the sages Mahrishi Valmiki, Maa Ahilya, Shri Nishad Ji, Sabri Mata, Muni Vashishth, Agastya Muni, Rishi Vishwamitra and Goswami Tulsi Das will be carved by January 2025. The architectural drawings and structural stability work has been done by artist Vasudev Kamath, architects Sompura, Jay Kaktikar and CBRI and TCE. The stone temple made from the Bansi Paharpur stone of Rajasthan will comprise about 15 lakh cubic feet with significant marble cladding.

AAPAyodhyaBangladeshDelhi Assembly ElectiondiplomacyIndian politicsRam MandirSheikh Hasina