External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday chaired an all-party meeting in Parliament and briefed the leaders about the ongoing developments in Bangladesh. The all-party meeting was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and LoP Rahul Gandhi among others. Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina resigning from her post in the wake of mounting protests. The protests, majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.
While the Opposition expressed satisfaction with the Centre's stance on the ongoing political crisis in Bangladesh, LoP Rahul Gandhi questioned the government on the possible involvement of a foreign hand. To this, Jaishankar said that all possible angles were being looked into. During the all-party meeting, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, asked about India's long-term and short-term strategy. The government stated that this was a progressive situation and they would continue to analyse it. He said the status of minorities there remains a significant concern, with reports of attacks on their properties.
Jaishankar briefed the leaders on how the issue had panned out in Bangladesh and the prevailing situation in the country. He also spoke about how Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina had moved to India and how India would take care of the Bangladeshi leader. Jaishankar said that Sheikh Hasina is in India and the Indian government wants to give her time to let the Indian government know what her future course of action would be.
During the meeting, Jaishankar told the leaders that the central government was in touch with the Bangladesh Army as well. He said that it is a prevailing situation and the government will take appropriate action at the right time, according to sources. According to sources, so far 8000 Indian nationals have come back. Jaishankar informed the meeting that the Indian government is in touch with Indian nationals and the High Commission there continues to operate.
