New Delhi/Washington DC:
The regime change in India’s neighbour Bangladesh which many geopolitical analysts have attributed to the US’ deep state’s alleged work in the shadows grazed US President Donald Trump during his joint press briefing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC.
A reporter sought the views of President Trump on whether the previous Democratic government under former President Joe Biden carried out a regime change in Bangladesh, and installed Muhammad Yunus as a chief adviser.
President Trump denied the US deep state played any role in the developments in Bangladesh, whose ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina took shelter in India.
“There was no role for our deep state. This is something that the Prime Minister has been working on for a long time, for hundreds of years, frankly I have been reading about it. I will leave Bangladesh to the Prime Minister,” President Trump said.
While the Republican did not directly address the question, speculation is that the response indicated the new Trump administration may not get itself involved in Bangladesh, where alleged radical Islamist elements have been targeting religious minorities including Hindus.
Ties between India and Bangladesh have nosedived after Ms Hasina fled Dhaka in August in the face of a massive anti-government protest.
The interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who returned from the US to work as Bangladesh’s caretaker, continues to draw sharp criticism over not doing enough to stop attacks on minorities by radical Islamists.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Thursday said PM Modi shared concerns over the recent developments in Bangladesh with President Trump.
“This was a subject that was discussed between the two leaders. And the Prime Minister shared his views and, indeed, his concerns with regard to recent developments in Bangladesh and how India sees the situation,” the Foreign Secretary said after the two leaders’ joint press briefing.
“We hope that the situation in Bangladesh will also move forward in a direction where we can pursue relations in a constructive and stable way with them. But there are concerns about that situation. And the Prime Minister shared those views with President Trump,” he said in response to a reporter’s question.
PM Modi is in the US for two days. He also met with billionaire businessman Elon Musk.