Sheikh Hasina blasts Yunus’ 'foolish' hostility towards India, outlines condition for return to Bangladesh

Sheikh Hasina

Ousted former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday mounted a sharp attack on the country's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, describing his hawkish approach towards India as “foolish” and “self-defeating".

Speaking to PTI, Hasina, who is currently in exile in India, asserted that Dhaka’s ties with New Delhi are deep and must endure beyond what she termed the “Yunus interlude.”

“Muhammad Yunus’ hostility to India is foolish and self-defeating,” Hasina said, adding that the Nobel laureate’s policies risk undermining decades of goodwill between the two neighbours.

“India-Bangladesh ties are deep, must withstand the foolhardiness of the Yunus interlude,” she added, stressing that bilateral relations have been built on “mutual respect and trust.”

The former prime minister also accused the interim regime of “dismantling the democratic order” and “empowering extremists,” warning that the country’s fragile political fabric was at risk under the current leadership.

Hasina added that her possible return home depends on political conditions. “The key condition for my return to Bangladesh is restoration of participatory democracy,” she told PTI.

Ties between India and Bangladesh have suffered strains since Yunus came to power in the country last year after massive protests forced Hasine to escape the country. Yunus' made several provocative statements and gestures against India, which invited severe backlash from New Delhi.

Recently, in an interview to Network18, defence minister Rajnath Singh cautioned Yunus and said he should “watch his words” amid growing anti-India rhetoric from the neighbouring country. “We do not seek tense relations with Bangladesh, but Yunus should be cautious with his statements,” Singh said in the interview aired on Friday.