PM Modi is unlikely to meet Chief Advisor Yunus at the sideline of UNGA

New Delhi: India has not agreed to meet Chief Advisor of Bangladesh interim Government Md. Yunus at the
side line of the UNGA where both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Advisor would be
present in New York later this month.

The Bangladeshi side made a formal request earlier this week for a meeting between Chief Advisor of Bangladesh caretaker government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The reason given for not meeting Bangladesh Chief Advisor that PM Modi has a “pressing engagement” in Washington and New York. Besides this ,law and order situation has so much  deteriorated in whole of Bangladesh that civil administration had to deploy army for at least
two months with  executive powers.

However, the people within Bangladesh said there was a growing sense that Bangladesh’s interim government was not fully in control of the situation and elements within the caretaker setup are working at cross-purposes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the United States of America from  September 21 to
September 23. During this visit Prime Minister will take part in the fourth Quad Leader’s Summit in
Wilmington, Delaware which is being hosted by President Joe Biden. On September 23 Prime Minister
will address the ‘summit of the future’ at the United Nations General Assembly. Before that on 22 nd
September he will address Indian community gathering in New York.

Sources said a meeting appears unlikely following comments by Yunus in an interview with an Indian
media outlet earlier this week. Yunus’s remarks had not gone down well in New Delhi.
In an interview this week, Yunus criticised former premier Sheikh Hasina for commenting on
developments in Bangladesh while in exile in India. He suggested Bangladesh can seek her extradition
and said India should move beyond the “narrative” that every political party other than Hasina’s Awami
League is “Islamist”.

“If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh wants her back, the condition would be that she has
to keep quiet,” Yunus said. “Sitting in India, she is speaking and giving instructions. No one likes it. It’s not
good for us or for India.” The Bangladeshi side has told India “quite firmly” that Hasina should keep quiet as “she has been given shelter there and she is campaigning from there”.

There has been no response so far from the Indian side to Yunus’s remarks. However, the people cited
above said such comments weren’t conducive to better relations. India’s leadership has said Hasina was granted approval to come to the country at short notice after shestepped down on August 5. The external affairs ministry has declined to comment on any possible
Bangladeshi request for her extradition, describing it as a hypothetical matter.
Yunus, sworn in as leader of Bangladesh’s interim government three days after Hasina fled to India,
spoke to Modi on phone on August 16. At the time, Modi urged Yunus to ensure the protection of Hindus
and other minorities in Bangladesh following attacks after the ouster of the previous government.

Yunus had said Bangladesh will give priority to the security of all minorities. In recent weeks, Yunus has
repeatedly described reports in the Indian media about attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindus as
“exaggerated”.

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