India has strongly dismissed accusations by Bangladesh’s interim government chief, Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus, who blamed New Delhi for a downturn in bilateral ties. At the same time, India reiterated its call for Dhaka to hold free and fair elections, framing democratic transition as the only path forward in Bangladesh.
Yunus Blames India Over Tensions
Speaking at the Asia Society in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Yunus claimed India “did not like the student-people movement” that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power in August 2024.
He accused New Delhi of deepening tensions by hosting Hasina, alleging that the ousted leader had “created all these problems and killed young people.”
The comments come as relations between the two neighbors have hit their lowest point in years. Yunus also dismissed Indian concerns over rising Islamist influence in Dhaka, calling such claims “fake news” and insisting that the interim government was unfairly painted as aligned with extremist elements.
India’s Response
At a weekly media briefing, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal avoided directly confronting Yunus’s charges but reiterated India’s long-standing stance.
“On the parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in February 2026 in Bangladesh, we have repeatedly underlined our expectation of a smooth and peaceful democratic transition through free, fair, credible and inclusive elections,” Jaiswal said.
On Yunus’s claims regarding Hasina’s presence in India, Jaiswal maintained that New Delhi had already made its position clear, without going into details.
India has consistently accused Dhaka’s interim government of failing to curb attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, a charge Bangladesh rejects as exaggerated.
The SAARC Question
Yunus also used his U.S. visit to advocate for reviving the moribund South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He said Bangladesh “intensified” efforts to restart the bloc and blamed India for blocking its progress.
“The whole idea of SAARC was born in Bangladesh. Our history gives us the opportunity but somehow it did not fit into the politics of one country,” Yunus remarked.
India’s foreign ministry brushed off the criticism, with Jaiswal noting that “a particular country” – a veiled reference to Pakistan – was responsible for holding up SAARC. He reaffirmed India’s commitment to regional connectivity and cooperation but argued that cross-border terrorism had derailed trust.
The last SAARC summit was held in Nepal in 2014. Plans for the next summit in Islamabad were shelved after India withdrew following the Uri terror attack, attributed to Pakistan-based groups. Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan also pulled out, leaving the organization effectively dormant for a decade.
High-Level U.S. Engagement
During his New York trip, Yunus met Sergio Gor, U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia and ambassador-designate to India. Yunus reportedly pressed for stronger U.S. support in reviving SAARC and emphasized the importance of linking Nepal, Bhutan, and India’s northeast with Bangladesh to boost trade and connectivity.
A Troubled Relationship
India-Bangladesh relations, once hailed as a model for South Asia, have soured since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in 2024. While India has provided refuge to the former leader, Yunus’s interim administration accuses New Delhi of meddling in its internal affairs. For New Delhi, Dhaka’s handling of minority rights and democratic norms remain central concerns.
The mutual recriminations have left both sides locked in a cycle of mistrust, with regional cooperation through SAARC emerging as another casualty of deteriorating ties.
With Bangladesh heading for elections in early 2026, India’s insistence on democratic accountability sets the stage for what could be another contentious chapter in the neighbors’ fraught relationship.
