Launch movement to change interim govt: Tripura CPI(M) urges people in Bangladesh

The opposition CPI(M) in Tripura on Thursday appealed to secular-minded forces in Bangladesh to raise their voices against the alleged attacks on minorities and to launch a movement to oust the interim government in the neighbouring country. CPI(M) state unit secretary Jitendra Chowdhury claimed that the present government in Bangladesh has "taken a stand as if Pakistan is its big friend" and is "against the spirit of liberation war" in the neighbouring country.

"The situation in Bangladesh is now not normal. An interim government has taken over the reins there, which has launched attacks on minorities. I would appeal to the people who are secular to launch a movement to change the present government in Bangladesh", the CPI(M) leader told reporters.

Notably, former Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, in an interview with PTI, accused the interim government headed by chief advisor Muhammad Yunus of allowing "mobocracy" to replace democracy.


Mahmud, who was one of the senior-most members of Sheikh Hasina's ministry till it was ousted on August 5 following a student uprising, underscored that the increase in violence against Hindus and attacks on temples appears strongly correlated with the uptick in anti-India rhetoric.

"The interim government in Bangladesh has taken a stand as if Pakistan is its big friend...This government is against the spirit of the liberation war," Chowdhury said.

"When an autocracy develops attacks on the minorities become inevitable. Bangladesh is experiencing the same...the BJP captured power in Tripura by reducing the elections into a farce," Chowdhury alleged.

Asked to comment on the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, who advocates minority rights in Bangladesh, Chowdhury said, "I am talking about the attacks on the minorities and that should be stopped."

India had recently noted with "deep concern" the arrest and denial of bail to Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, and urged authorities in the neighbouring country to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all other minority groups.

In a statement, the MEA said it has noted with "deep concern the arrest and denial of bail" to Das, who is also the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote.

Reacting sharply to the MEA's statement on the arrest of Das, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka said it was "unfounded" and stood contrary to the spirit of friendship between the two countries.