Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser and Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus created headlines in New York after openly admitting that his country’s relationship with India is going through a difficult phase. Speaking during events held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Yunus said that India did not support the student protests that led to the dramatic fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government last year.
He further explained that these differences have added strain between the two neighbours. Along with this, Yunus strongly pushed for the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), where Bangladesh could play a central role in boosting trade and improving regional connections.
Yunus did not hold back in his comments. He said, “We have problems with India right now because they didn’t like what the students have done.” By this, he was referring to the mass student-led protests in 2024 that ended Hasina’s long political rule.
He went further, accusing Indian media of spreading what he called “fake news” about Bangladesh’s situation. According to Yunus, these reports falsely portrayed the protests as an Islamist movement, something he insisted was not true. He said such propaganda had made relations even worse.
Another sharp remark came when Yunus directly targeted India for allegedly giving shelter to Sheikh Hasina. “India is hosting Hasina, who has created problems… that creates tension between India and Bangladesh,” he said. This remark is likely to add more fuel to the already delicate situation between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Since the student uprising in August 2024, Indian officials have raised concerns multiple times. They warned against increasing anti-India statements and also highlighted threats made in Bangladesh about occupying India’s northeast. India has also expressed worry about rising violence against minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. However, Yunus and his interim government have not directly addressed these issues, leading to a continued decline in trust and cooperation between the two nations.
In his New York appearance, Yunus also discussed the future of regional cooperation. He once again took a critical tone toward India, saying that SAARC has been unable to function properly because of “the politics of one country.” Without naming directly at first, his remarks clearly pointed to New Delhi.
The last SAARC summit was held in 2014, and the next planned meeting in Islamabad in 2016 was cancelled after the Uri terrorist attack in India, which was blamed on Pakistan. Since then, India has stayed away from SAARC, saying that Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism makes meaningful cooperation impossible.
Instead, India has been focusing more on the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) grouping. BIMSTEC leaves out Pakistan but still gives India a platform for working with Bangladesh and other neighbours. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok earlier this year to remind Yunus about protecting minorities and avoiding language that damages the atmosphere between the two countries.
Still, Yunus said that Bangladesh would continue to try to revive SAARC. He also expressed interest in joining ASEAN, the regional group of Southeast Asian nations. According to him, such integration could speed up Bangladesh’s economic growth by connecting it more closely with fast-developing economies in the region.
Beyond foreign policy, Yunus also spoke about his interim government’s responsibility at home. He promised that Bangladesh will hold a free, fair, and peaceful general election in the first half of February 2025. This would be the first genuinely competitive election in more than 15 years, giving 126 million citizens a chance to vote without fear or pressure.
He called the upcoming election a top priority and said his administration was making “comprehensive preparations” to ensure that democracy is restored in Bangladesh after years of political dominance by Sheikh Hasina.
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For many Bangladeshis, these words carry hope. The student uprising that toppled Hasina’s government was driven by frustration over corruption, lack of jobs, and limited freedoms. Now, Yunus is trying to present himself as a leader who can guide the country toward both democratic stability at home and constructive engagement abroad.
Muhammad Yunus’s remarks in New York show the delicate balance Bangladesh is facing. On one hand, he is trying to rebuild domestic democracy and assure people that elections will be fair. On the other hand, his strong words about India and Sheikh Hasina suggest that relations with New Delhi will remain tense for now.
As Bangladesh positions itself between South Asia and Southeast Asia, the push for reviving SAARC or joining ASEAN could redefine its role in the region. However, whether India will cooperate or continue to keep distance will determine how far these ambitions can go. For now, Yunus has chosen a bold and outspoken path, setting the stage for both opportunity and challenge in the months ahead.
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