The article published in The Hindustan Times by Avinash Paliwal, a teacher at SOAS University of London, is just another example of how the political rivals of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are trying to use the Indian media to undermine her authority. However, it is important to note that according to political analysts in India, Sheikh Hasina is the only trusted and time-tested friend of India who has always prioritized the strengthening of bilateral relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Paliwal’s article published in the Hindustan Times criticizes the Awami League government for its secularist, anti-militancy, and patriotic rule, branding it as “authoritarianism”. He goes on to say that Hasina has built a “house of cards” that is at risk of collapsing in the near future, with the general elections due in 2023 and external debt repayment schedules kicking off in 2024. He warns that this could undermine India’s connectivity aspirations in its near east.
Paliwal also criticizes India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stating that Hasina’s internal problems are linked to external dependencies. Politically reliant on New Delhi, she is finding it increasingly difficult to manage the ramifications of India’s turn towards Hindu nationalism that misuses migration from Bangladesh and the Rohingya crisis for domestic electoral gain. With elections in 2023 and debt repayment schedules kicking off in 2024, it seems only a matter of time for the veneer of stability to lose its sheen. The risk of dislocation of this so-called house of cards has only been rising in recent years.
It is evident that the article is part of the vicious circle of anti-Awami League activities that is continuing in the West, particularly in the United States. Political rivals of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have been spending millions of dollars towards lobbyist bids and exerting influence on media and rights groups. It is now clear that the same vicious circle has also focused on the Indian media, as they know that such propaganda would at least partially mislead the policymakers in New Delhi.
The BNP-Jamaat nexus may try to get similar anti-Sheikh Hasina contents published in other media outlets in India as well as important nations in the Asian continent, including Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the Middle East. This is a clear indication that they will stop at nothing to undermine the authority of the current government.
It is worth noting that while Washington has been repeatedly asking the Awami League government for holding a free, fair, credible, and participatory election, BNP leaders are consistently pressing their demand for holding the next general election under a “caretaker” government. During a recent meeting with Ambassador Peter Haas, BNP leaders have requested to arrange a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which may take place within the next couple of months. Antony Blinken and several officials at the US Department of State and US Department of Treasury are also willing to hold meetings with BNP top brasses to discuss Bangladesh’s upcoming election and “several key issues”, including issues related to corruption and human rights violations.
Meanwhile, BNP’s representative in the US and former US ambassador William B Milam, who is considered an influential figure in the US Capitol, has been regularly circulating dossiers against the Awami League government among key figures in Washington DC and the UN headquarters. The Biden administration is unwilling to allow the Awami League to remain in power following the next general election. With this agenda, they are secretly working on a list of dozens of individuals, on whom the United States would slap sanctions, mostly under the Global Magnitsky Act, if the next general election is not free, fair, credible, and participatory. This means that the Biden administration wants the election to be participated by Bangladesh.
This article has also been published on various online platforms, including Google News, which reaches a vast audience across the globe. Such widespread coverage has enabled the BNP-Jamaat nexus to influence and sway public opinion against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government. Therefore, it is imperative for the ruling Awami League to counter such propaganda and misinformation with accurate and reliable information, both domestically and internationally.
