Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus said that India is likely to continue to host former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina if given a "free choice".
He claimed that "some external forces" wanted her to go back to Bangladesh, days after New Delhi said matters related to the Awami League leader are "legal" in nature and require "consultations" between both nations, TOI reported.
Yunus further said that the interim government that he heads is "very alert" about communal harmony and dismissed reports of attacks on minorities as "fake news".
The Nobel laurate said that the message to the Hindu community in Bangladesh is, "is don't go back and say, 'I'm a Hindu, so protect me'... always say, 'I'm a citizen of this country. I'm entitled to all the protection the state is supposed to give me".
Yunus talked about issues related to Hasina and opened up about the conversations he had with PM Narendra Modi in an interview with Mehdi Hassan of Zeteo, Yunus said, "Two things: first, I said you want to keep her, I can't tell you what to do with her but make sure she doesn't talk about us. She doesn't talk about the Bangladeshi people."
Bangladesh had sought Hasina's extradition in December last year but there has been no development yet.
"Probably they (India) will keep her. If some legal obligation is there that they cannot avoid, then the situation will be different," he said. "They have been supporting her all along," Yunus added.
When Mehdi asked about Hindus being attacked in Bangladesh, Yunus said, "One of the specialities about India right now is fake news, a barrage of fake news. This is fake news. You can't go by this fake news," he said.
Asked if he was saying the reports were exaggerated, or if there's no anti-Hindu violence, Yunus said there is "some conflict sometimes, some family problem, land problem and something". "You happen to be my neighbour. You are a Hindu neighbour. I am a Muslim neighbour. We have a problem with our land demarcation, just like two neighbours. So you said this is Hindu-Muslim. That's not it," he said.
(With TOI inputs)
He claimed that "some external forces" wanted her to go back to Bangladesh, days after New Delhi said matters related to the Awami League leader are "legal" in nature and require "consultations" between both nations, TOI reported.
Yunus further said that the interim government that he heads is "very alert" about communal harmony and dismissed reports of attacks on minorities as "fake news".
The Nobel laurate said that the message to the Hindu community in Bangladesh is, "is don't go back and say, 'I'm a Hindu, so protect me'... always say, 'I'm a citizen of this country. I'm entitled to all the protection the state is supposed to give me".
Yunus talked about issues related to Hasina and opened up about the conversations he had with PM Narendra Modi in an interview with Mehdi Hassan of Zeteo, Yunus said, "Two things: first, I said you want to keep her, I can't tell you what to do with her but make sure she doesn't talk about us. She doesn't talk about the Bangladeshi people."
Bangladesh had sought Hasina's extradition in December last year but there has been no development yet.
"Probably they (India) will keep her. If some legal obligation is there that they cannot avoid, then the situation will be different," he said. "They have been supporting her all along," Yunus added.
When Mehdi asked about Hindus being attacked in Bangladesh, Yunus said, "One of the specialities about India right now is fake news, a barrage of fake news. This is fake news. You can't go by this fake news," he said.
Asked if he was saying the reports were exaggerated, or if there's no anti-Hindu violence, Yunus said there is "some conflict sometimes, some family problem, land problem and something". "You happen to be my neighbour. You are a Hindu neighbour. I am a Muslim neighbour. We have a problem with our land demarcation, just like two neighbours. So you said this is Hindu-Muslim. That's not it," he said.
(With TOI inputs)
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