Virulent hate campaign should stop

Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina on August 5 this year, there has been persistent propaganda against Bangladesh carried out by several Indian politicians, intellectuals, celebrities and media people. Armed with half-truths and distorted facts, they have virtually launched a series of attacks against Bangladesh in various print, electronic and social media. Their one-sided, biased and partial analyses of the overall situation in Bangladesh have sparked and intensified hatred against the country. Indian abroad, especially in the United States (USA), have joined the hate campaign in the name of demand for protecting the minorities, Hindus to be precise, in Bangladesh. Many Hindu extremists in India are also demanding their government's intervention in Bangladesh in this connection. Some have also threatened to impose trade sanctions against Bangladesh. The allegation is also there that the Indian government has also been backing the hate campaign to demonstrate to the world that Bangladesh has become a heaven of extremists.

To many Indians, and also the Indian establishments, the fall of the Hasina regime was shocking and unacceptable. There is no denying the fact that the Indian government has supported Hasina since her assumption of power in 2008. The unconditional, and also some conditional, backing from New Delhi turned the now ousted prime minister of Bangladesh into a ruthless ruler and the country became subservient to its big neighbour. Allegation is also there that New Delhi largely dictated Bangladesh's foreign policy during the period. Dhaka was also forced to accept unfair international deals and award contracts that went against the country's long-term economic interests, like the Adani power deal and the Ruppoor nuclear energy projects. The cronies of Hasina, in collaboration with Indian partners in some cases, took control of the country's power and other sectors. Over the years, they have illegally accumulated and transferred billions of dollars outside the country.

The anti-discrimination movement, a powerful display of unity and solidarity among students, youths, and almost all sections of people in Bangladesh, posed a serious challenge to the Hasina regime. To repress the movement, the regime restored brutal killing and cruel intimidation, leading to the death of more than 1,500 people and injury of more than 20,000 people in the country.   Terming the incidents in Bangladesh an 'internal affairs' of the country, as many argued, New Delhi had continued to back the Hasina regime. However, the movement ultimately forced Hasina to step down, flee and take shelter in India.

Most of the Indians, especially the blind supporters of the Hindutva project of India's ruling party, either ignorantly or intentionally failed to understand the critical context of the fall of the Hasina regime. To them, what the regime did in the name of development and secularism was correct. They did not, and still do not, care about the aspirations and opinions of the people of Bangladesh. They only want an Indian-loyal government in Bangladesh. That's why they have waged a virulent hate campaign against the students and youths who led the movement, the interim government headed by Dr Muhammad Yunus and the majority of people in Bangladesh. It reflects their frustration and anger. Many of the mainstream Indian media outlets also backed the hatred by publishing various misinformed and distorted news without due verification. Sensationalisation in various electronic media and TV channel increased the hatred further. It is also not surprising that a small section of Bangladeshis either join or back the hate campaign. They are Indian loyalists and Hasina stalwarts who are quite opportunists, too.

As the campaign against Bangladesh raged, it also fuelled counter-attacks with a mix of hate and intolerance, as reflected in disrespecting Indian flags, for instance. Extremist Islamist groups also use the opportunity to deepen the anti-Indian sentiment in Bangladesh. The liberal voices in both the countries have also come under pressure from the biased camps. So, it becomes more challenging for Bangladesh to counter the hate campaign based on misinformation and lie.

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