New Delhi: The constant onslaught on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh found mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to Nobel Laureate, Prof Muhammad Yunus, after the latter took oath as head of the interim government in the strife-torn neighbouring country. However, the atrocities and violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh did not find any reference in Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi’s message.
This gave the BJP fresh ammunition to berate him and the grand old party for ‘ignoring and sidestepping’ the interests of Hindus, despite them being subjected to inhuman treatment.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur raised the matter in Lok Sabha on Friday and asked why the LoP talks at length about the Gaza crisis but fails to utter a word on attack on Hindus in Bangladesh.
PM Modi in his congratulatory message to Professor Yunus said on X: “We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development.”
However, Rahul Gandhi in the message to the new interim government of Bangladesh did not share any concern about the safety of Hindus in the neighbouring country.
“A swift resolution of peace and normalcy is the need of the hour,” Rahul Gandhi posted on X.
This comes in stark contrast with the social media outbursts by both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi on Israel-Gaza face-off.
On Israel-Gaza war, both Rahul and Priyanka wrote lengthy social media posts, bringing attention to the issues faced by people in war-hit zone. However, their ‘silence’ on atrocities against Hindus and other minorities has earned them the ire of the BJP.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Congress leaders of sidestepping the issues of Hindu minorities.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala explained the party’s ‘duplicity’ as Real Hindu vs Reel Hindu while party leader C.R. Kesavan called it a blatant hypocrisy of Congress.
“On issues like Gaza, long prompt social media posts were put out by the Congress to draw attention to the issues people faced there. However, there has been deafening hypocritical radio silence from the Congress on the safety and welfare of Hindus and other minorities in neighbouring Bangladesh,” he posted on X.
Notably, the Indian government has raised concerns over the safety and security of Indian missions and their personnel working and residing in Bangladesh.
The High Commission has also suspended visa operations till the restoration of law and order situation.
Hundreds of Hindu houses, businesses and temples have been vandalised following ouster of Sheikh Hasina from her prime ministerial position amid the unrest that broke out over a quota system that proposed to reserve 30 per cent of jobs for families of veterans who fought the 1971 liberation war.
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