Bangladesh Coup: Growing Anger in India over US Policy
Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced in a televised address on Monday afternoon that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and an "interim government" would be formed. Reports suggest that Hasina left the country on a military chopper, before protesters stormed her official residence.
SputnikThere is a palpable anger and frustration in India directed at the US in the wake of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's flight from Bangladesh as she succumbed to pressure from anti-government protesters, backed by opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) as well as having implicit support from western powers, according to experts.
Several former Indian military and intelligence officials told Sputnik India that the US seemed to have finally succeeded in destabilizing Bangladesh by toppling Hasina, widely viewed as pro-India for bolstering economic and security ties with New Delhi in the last 15 years since she had been in power.
"There seems to be a clear US hand at play in taking advantage of the student protests to topple the democratically-elected government of PM Hasina. The students are an easily influenced group, and sadly in this case, they succumbed to influence from the West in calling for Hasina's ouster," Air Marshal M Matheswaran, an Indian Air Force (IAF) veteran and the head of Chennai-based think tank The Peninsula Foundation (TPF), told Sputnik India.
He stated that the US has had no "qualms" in destabilising any country for its "selfish interests", adding that Washington had time and again been guilty of backing "radicals" in power in various regions at different points of history.
"The western partners have called for supporting freedom of speech for protesters, which in a way reeks of hypocrisy, given how the Biden administration has suppressed pro-Palestine voices in their own backyard. The demand for quota reforms had already been met. I can't see any reason to make a demand for ousting the Prime Minister. There are definitely bigger forces at play here," the Indian veteran noted.
Further, he took a swipe at the US for overlooking critical Indian interests in the South Asian region, where Hasina has been viewed as one of the few pro-Indian leaders.
"When it comes to their interests, they don't care about any strategic partner or ally, as we have seen time and again in history," the geopolitical expert remarked.
He echoed Hasina's concerns that the US and its allies were seeking to
carve a Christian state from parts of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Moreover, the US might be looking at a situation where they would be able to exploit the instability in the region for their own strategic needs, just like Myanmar was already destabilised, he reckoned.
Hence, with Hasina gone, the US may be looking at bolstering ties with Bangladesh's military, Matheswaran asserted.
"Going forward, we could see the Bangladeshi military playing a more active political role. They have good relations with western partners, including the US. We might be looking at a picture similar to Pakistan, where the military relationship with both the US and China would be strong," he stressed.
The think tank chief referred to US State Department and US Congress members' recent comment on criticising Hasina for cracking down on nationwide protests as well as the conduct of January election, which the Biden administration has said were neither free nor fair. Significantly, just last week, 22 members of US Congress urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to condemn Hasina for her recent actions, accusing the democratically-elected PM of acting in an "authoritarian manner".
"The United States must partner with the international community to support the right of the Bangladeshi people to a representative democratic government that upholds human rights
and respects individual freedoms," the US Congress members demanded.
'Hasina's Ouster Could be Big Headache for India'
In the meantime, Hasina's ouster could spell a big headache for Indian interests, Colonel RSN Singh, a former officer at India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), told Sputnik India.
"The last time BNP-Jamaat were in power back in the 2000s, they were accused of fuelling insurgency in India's north-east. Thank god, we have had Sheikh Hasina in power in Bangladesh since 2009," he recalled.
Explaining the US policy in ousting Hasina, the former intelligence officer said that Washington had been eyeing a presence in the Bay of Bengal, a strategically-located artery in global commerce, for a long time. In May, Hasina dropped a bombshell after stating that a foreign power was demanding a military base at St Martin's Island.
"The US for long has been seeking a presence in the Bay of Bengal as a counterweight to China and to influence the situation in Myanmar, which is a gateway to Southeast Asia," he said.
Singh also confirmed that a western hand in toppling Hasina couldn't be denied, as he pointed to growing calls for a regime change in Bangladesh by the Bangladeshi diaspora as well as western non-state actors.
"The western countries have made no secret in their backing of BNP leaders like Tarique Zia, currently in London and openly calling for Hasina's ouster," he said, referring to BNP's Acting President who has been accused of "masterminding" the deadly violence in the country.
Meanwhile, the presence of several western NGOs in Bangladesh, including BRAC, which has a presence across major districts in the country, are funded by Deep State actors, Singh remarked.
More worryingly for India, Singh stated that the resurgence of radical forces led by Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh's polity wasn't good news for India, as these groups are known to have opposed the Liberation Movement and have been responsible for propagating anti-India sentiment, including the recent one calling for economic boycott of Indian products.
"Bangladesh's polity as well as the Army has been divided into two camps since the Liberation War in 1971. There is a faction loyal to the freedom movement. On the other hand, a sizable portion, known as razakars (opposed to Liberation), have been actively seeking to dislodge Awami League," the former officer stated.
India Will Take Action to Protect Its Interests
IIn the meantime, Hasina's exit was a "mixed outcome" of both internal and external factors, Rajiv Bhatia, a former Indian diplomat and a Distinguished Fellow at Mumbai-based think tank Gateway House, told Sputnik India.
"Poor governance, external interference and geopolitical dynamics have contributed to the present outcome," Bhatia remarked, as he took note of palpable discontent among youth due to economic factors.
He stated that the Indian government was
more than capable of looking after its national and regional interests.
"India's interests can be looked after by India alone, not others. It is obvious that New Delhi is paying the closest possible attention and will take appropriate action to protect its vital interests, without interfering in the internal affairs of Bangladesh," Bhatia remarked.
Right from the eruption of the violent demonstrations in Bangladesh last month, New Delhi has consistently maintained that the situation in Bangladesh was an "internal matter" of Dhaka.