Pawan Khera questions Centre over lack of Intelligence on Bangladesh turmoil

New Delhi : The Congress’ National Spokesperson Pawan Khera on Monday posed questions to the Centre over the turmoil and subsequent political crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh.

The senior Congress leader asked why the Centre was caught unawares on the coup in the neighbouring nation and why the Indian government did not have Intelligence inputs regarding the possibility of the students’ movement leading to the violent overthrow of the Bangladeshi government.

He also asked what the government was doing to safeguard Hindus and other minorities in the embattled nation.

Speaking about former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's current sojourn in India after fleeing from her nation, Pawan Khera said, "The Government should know what to do regarding this matter. How did such a major coup happen in Bangladesh which is our neighbouring country and the government which has been in power for 11 years had no information about it?

“Surprisingly, this government had no Intelligence inputs about what was going to happen in a neighbouring country before the crisis took place.”

He urged the Union government to be transparent about the measures it has taken for the safety of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh was rocked by nationwide protests over job quotas.

Following the students’ agitation that turned violent after police firing led to many casualties, Sheikh Hasina resigned as the country’s Prime Minister and fled.

Following her resignation, Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved the Parliament and an interim government, headed by Nobel peace laureate and noted economist Muhammad Yunus, was sworn in.

The Bangladesh Army Chief said that the situation across the country was improving significantly and normalcy would return soon, even as Muhammad Yunus slammed the attacks on minorities and asked for them to stop.

The Congress spokesperson also talked about the launch of climate-resilient seeds by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused him of engaging in lip service rather than taking solid steps towards farmers' welfare.