During a joint press briefing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC, US President Donald Trump was asked about the alleged involvement of the US deep state in a regime change in Bangladesh, which many geopolitical analysts have linked to the Biden administration. The question specifically referred to the installation of Muhammad Yunus as chief adviser.
President Trump denied any role by the US deep state in the political developments in Bangladesh, where former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took refuge 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. I will leave Bangladesh to the Prime Minister,” Trump responded.
Although the Republican president did not directly address the question, his response implied that the new Trump administration may not involve itself in the situation in Bangladesh, where radical Islamist groups have been targeting religious minorities, including Hindus.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have deteriorated since Hasina fled Dhaka in August amid large-scale anti-government protests. The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who returned from the US to serve as Bangladesh’s caretaker, has faced criticism for not doing enough to stop the attacks on minorities by radical Islamists.
After the press briefing, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that PM Modi had raised concerns about the developments in Bangladesh with President Trump. “The Prime Minister shared his views and concerns with President Trump regarding recent events in Bangladesh and how India perceives the situation,” Misri said. “We hope that the situation in Bangladesh moves in a direction that allows for constructive and stable relations. But there are concerns, and the Prime Minister expressed these concerns to President Trump,” he added in response to a reporter’s question.
