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PremiumNobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government on Thursday. This follows protests that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier this week. Yunus took the oath of office as chief adviser, administered by figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
In a statement on the social media platform X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to Yunus and referenced reports of violence targeting Hindus in the Muslim-majority nation.
Addressing the media shortly after his appointment, Yunus emphasised his primary goal of restoring order. "Bangladesh is like a family, and we need to unite it," he stated.
The departure of Hasina has raised concerns about further instability in a country of approximately 170 million people already grappling with high unemployment, corruption, and a complex strategic relationship with India, China, and the United States. Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Hasina's son and an adviser to his mother, has pledged that the Awami League party will remain active in Bangladeshi politics despite recent attacks on the party.
The unrest has persisted since Hasina's resignation on Monday, with ongoing violence resulting in the deaths of dozens of police officers and a nationwide halt in police operations.
The RSS said in statement, "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh expresses deep concern over the incidents of violence against Hindus, Buddhists and other minority communities in Bangladesh during the movement for change of power in the last few days."
"The atrocities such as targeted killing of Hindus and other minority community people, looting, arson, heinous crimes against women and attacks on places of worship like temples in Bangladesh are intolerable and the RSS strongly condemns them," it added.
The RSS said, "The interim government of Bangladesh is expected to immediately and strictly stop such incidents and make proper arrangements to protect the life, property and honour of the victims."
Bangladesh News Live China said Friday it "welcomes" the formation of a new interim government in Bangladesh, promising to work with the country "to promote exchange and cooperation".
"China has noted the establishment of an interim government of Bangladesh and welcomes this," a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement, adding Beijing "attaches importance to the development of China-Bangladesh relations", AFP reported.
Bangladesh News Live: Her son has said that Bangladesh's former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, will return to her country when its new caretaker government decides to hold elections.
Speaking to the Times of India Daily, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who is based in the United States, said, "For the time being, she (Hasina) is in India. She will return to Bangladesh when the interim government decides to hold an election," Reuters reported.
Bangladesh News Live: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Sheikh Hasina’s principal rival in the Awami League, has expressed dissatisfaction with India's decision to provide refuge to the ousted Prime Minister.
BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Roy, a former minister in the 1991 BNP-led government and a party's standing committee member, criticised India’s actions,
Bangladesh News Live Updates: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge congratulated Muhammad Yunus on Thursday following his swearing-in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government and expressed hope for a swift return to peace and normalcy in Bangladesh.
"On behalf of the Indian National Congress, I extend our good wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on being sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government," Kharge said in a post on X. "We sincerely hope that normalcy and peace return to Bangladesh, our neighbour, with whom we Indians share a historic relationship. We pray for the safety of all the Bangladeshi people, including all the minorities."
In a post on X, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also congratulated Yunus, saying, "Congratulations to Professor Muhammad Yunus on being sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government. A swift restoration of peace and normalcy is the need of the hour," Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
Bangladesh News Live Updates: State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday that the United States hopes the new interim government in Bangladesh will pave the way for a democratic future.
Miller noted that the US has communicated with the interim government, including attending the swearing-in of Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus as the country's chief advisor.
"There has been communication with the interim government. Our charge d'affaires attended his swearing-in today. I don't know if she spoke to him at the swearing-in. Still, she did attend communication with the interim government, not necessarily him personally," Miller said in a press briefing.
