Has defiant Sheikh Hasina declared a ‘jihad’ against Muhammad Yunus, the head of the caretaker government in Bangladesh? In her first public speech after her ouster from the office of the Prime Minister, she accused the Nobel Laureate of committing ‘genocide’ and not protecting the minorities.

Sheikh Hasina Addresses Supporters

Addressing her supporters in the US city of New York on the occasion of the ‘Bijoy Dibas’ or Victory Day, the day when the Mukti Bahini or the Liberation Army defeated the Pakistani Army with the help of the Indian military in 1971, she slammed the present dispensation of her country.

Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee Bangladesh and take refuge in the neighbouring country of India after thousands of the people, led by the Islamist student organization Chhatra Shibir, protested against her, stormed the Prime Minister’s residence, looted it and vandalized it in August 2024.

Sheikh Hasina Accuses Md Yunus Of Genocide

Addressing her supporters online from an undisclosed location in India, the former Bangladeshi PM said, “Today, I am being accused of genocide. In reality, Yunus has been involved in genocide in a meticulously designed manner. The masterminds, the student coordinators and Yunus, are behind this genocide.”
Claiming that there was a plot to assassinate her and her younger sister Shekih Rehana like their father Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman was killed in a coup in 1975, Hasina said, “The armed protesters were directed towards Ganabhaban. If the security guards had opened fire, many lives would have been lost. It was a matter of 25-30 minutes, and I was forced to leave. I told them [guards] not to fire, no matter what happened.”

Hasina: Asked Guards Not To Open Fire

In a scathing attack on the head of the Interim government, she alleged that the armed protesters were directed towards ‘Ganabhaban’ or the PM’ official residence. He also revealed that she ordered the guards not to open fire because lives would have been lost. She was forced to leave only with a notice of 25-30 minutes.
In her no-holds barred speech, the former Bangladesh PM reiterated her old allegation of corruption against Muhammad Yunus. She accused the noted Bangladeshi economist of being power-hungry. She said in the most unambiguous terms that the head of the interim government had been involved in corruption and money laundering while running the micro-credit firm Grameen Bank.

Why Are Minorities Being Persecuted? Asks Hasina

Sheikh Hasina alleged that 11 churches were destroyed, temples and Buddhist shrines were demolished and vandalised as no one has been spared with Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, all being targeted.
She asked, “What is this persecution of minorities for? Why are they being ruthlessly persecuted and attacked?”

Sheikh Hasina Declares Jihad Against Md. Yunus

Political analysts have wondered why Sheikh Hasina has slammed the interim government of Bangladesh and did not spare Muhammad Yunus either at a time when the government and its head have threatened that India would be asked to extradite her and she would be tried at the International Criminal Court.
Will India Extradite Sheikh Hasina?
Earlier, the Nobel Laureate advised her to keep mum till India was asked to extradite her. Not succumbing to the pressure tactics of the interim government, Hasina decided to revolt against it and challenged its head.
Political observers are also trying to fathom the impact Sheikh Hasina’s speech could have on India-Bangladesh relations. The bilateral ties hit the rock-bottom after a crowd forcefully entered the Bangladeshi mission in Tripura’s Agartala, damaged a part of it and lowered the flag of the southeastern nation. Dhaka summoned the Indian High Commissioner and handed a strong note of protest.

India-Bangladesh Ties Hit Rock Bottom

Though the MEA regretted the incident and Indian authorities took action against the policemen deployed at the time of the protest, the damage has been done.
With Hasina targeting the interim government and its head presumably from somewhere in India, the Indo-Bangladesh ties may worsen.

And Quiet Flows The Padma

Dhaka may officially ask the Indian government to extradite Sheikh Hasina under the provisions of the extradition treaty signed between the two countries, when ironically, Hasina was the PM of Bangladesh.
Political observers believe New Delhi may reject the request, if made by Dhaka, under certain provisions of the treaty itself, including apprehension of political vendetta, prejudice, and possibilities of her not getting a fair trial or justice.
If India does so, the bilateral relations may go further south.
The Padma (or Podda as it is called locally) River is silent. Only it can say what happens next.