Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus – who was sworn in as head of Bangladesh’s interim government last week – has praised students protesting against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “There is no doubt… the whole government fell because of the student-led revolution…” Mr Yunus told reporters after meeting students on Sunday night.
Mr. Yunus recalled an excerpt from his conversation with the students, saying, “I said (to the students), ‘I respect you… I admire you. What you have done is absolutely unique… and since you have ordered me to do this (take charge of the interim administration), I accept it…’.”
Two of the student protesters – Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmood – are part of the 16-member advisory council that was sworn in alongside Mr Yunus, the 84-year-old who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in microfinance and founding the Grameen Bank, which works for community development.
Read | Muhammad Yunus sworn in as head of Bangladesh interim government
Mr Yunus also stressed that the wave of resignations of high-ranking public officials, including the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the head of Bangladesh’s central bank, were “legally driven”.
He was reportedly given an ultimatum to step down.
Read | Why was Bangladesh Chief Justice, a Sheikh Hasina loyalist, forced to step down?
“They want a new court,” he said of the students. “So they went there and asked the chief justice to resign and pressured him to resign.”
“I’m sure they will find a legal way to justify all of this, because legally… all the steps were taken,” he said. His office agreed to publish the quotes only on Monday evening.
“The monster is gone”
Mr. Yunus also said, “Finally, at this moment, the monster is gone.” He also referred to the departure of Hasina and the end of the autocratic rule that her critics said suppressed all dissent.
However, Mr. Yunus warned the interim government that public goodwill is a limited resource and that it faces many difficult decisions ahead. “The moment you start making decisions, some people will like your decisions, some people will not like your decisions,” he said. “…That’s the way it is.”
Interim Bangladesh Government
The interim government was formed after weeks of violence and clashes in Bangladesh – sparked by protests over job reservations – that forced five-time prime minister Hasina to resign and flee.
Read | Learn: How Generation Z women and the military changed Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina left the prime minister’s residence in Dhaka – hours before it was attacked – and flew to India on a Bangladeshi military plane. Sheikh Hasina, 76, is seen as a key ally of New Delhi but is still in an undisclosed location, with reports that she will possibly seek political asylum in the United Kingdom.
Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka was rocked by violent protests against the regime of Sheikh Hasina.
Following Ms Hasina’s departure, Mohammad Yunus – who had been accused of multiple corruption charges during the previous government and who was in Europe while Sheikh Hasina was in power – was chosen by protesters to oversee democratic reforms.
After taking the oath of office – and assuming the title of ‘chief adviser’ – his first act was to pay tribute to the more than 450 people killed in the protests.
Read | Muhammad Yunus honors heroes, first act as Bangladesh interim leader
It is not clear when Bangladesh will hold elections to select a new prime minister. Whenever that happens, Mrs Hasina is likely to contest, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy told the Times of India. “She will return to Bangladesh as soon as the interim government decides to hold elections,” he said.
“Best wishes” from India
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended his best wishes to Mr Yunus.
Read | PM congratulates Yunus, says, “Hope for the safety of Hindus”
“We hope for an early return to normalcy that will ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to meet the shared aspirations of the people of the two countries for peace, security and development,” he wrote on Twitter.
Read | How will the dismissal of Sheikh Hasina affect India-Bangladesh relations?
With the change of power in neighbouring Bangladesh, the Indian government now faces a diplomatic dilemma, while China has also been quick to welcome the new authorities in Dhaka and said it “attaches importance to the development” of relations.
With inputs from agencies
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