Ousted former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, in her first address to a public gathering in India since leaving Bangladesh in 2024, launched a scathing attack on Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, labelling him as ‘murderous fascist’ and expressed torment at the current condition of Bangladesh under his leadership.
Speaking via audio message to an audience at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Delhi, Hasina framed the political crisis in Dhaka as an existential battle for Bangladesh’s soul, sovereignty and constitution, calling on her supporters to rise up to “overthrow the foreign-serving puppet regime.”
Her ‘politically charged address’ at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Delhi was made at an event titled ‘Save Democracy in Bangladesh’, attended by several former ministers from Hasina’s Awami League government and members of the Bangladeshi diaspora.
Bangladesh turned into a ‘valley of death’
Throughout her address, Hasina did not shy away from launching an extremely targeted attack on Yunus, where she accused him of running an “illegal, violent” regime that has turned her beautiful country into a valley of death.
“The country has now been reduced to a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death. Democracy is now in exile. Human rights have been trampled into the dust,” Hasina was quoted as saying at the event as she accused extremist forces and foreign interests of ravaging the nation.
Though Hasina did not appear in person, her politically charged speech remained the subject of discussion for the remainder of the event. She was critically unsparing in her characterisation of Yunus, whom she repeatedly labelled a “murderous fascist,” “usurer,” “money launderer,” and “power-hungry traitor.”
Hasina’s comments come in the backdrop of a long string of targeted killings of Hindus in Bangladesh in incidents that involved religious tensions. Following the report of these deaths, simplistic tensions between Bangladesh and India have been at an all time high.
Hasina’s 5 point plan for peace in Bangladesh
The bit that perhaps stood out the most from her detailed and aggressive address was her five point plan to restore peace in Bangladesh. She said that these five demands that she said were essential to “heal” her country.
The first demand involved the ouster of what she called the “illegal Yunus administration” to restore democracy and create conditions for free and fair elections. “Bangladesh will never experience free and fair elections until the shadow of the Yunus clique is lifted,” she said.
Her second demand included better policing, calling for an end to random violence and lawlessness. She argued that stability was a prerequisite for economic recovery and functioning civic services.
The third demand which was perhaps discussed most at the event was an “ironclad guarantee” for the safety of religious minorities, women and the communities that have been the most vulnerable to the ongoing political crisis in Bangladesh.
“This string of targeted attacks “must end” so that every citizen can feel safe in their own Community,” she said.
Fourth, Hasina called for an end to what she termed politically motivated “lawfare” – the use of legal processes to intimidate, silence and jail journalists and leaders both from the Awami League and the opposition. She urged the restoration of trust in the judiciary as an “impartial and noble institution.”
Her fifth and final appeal required the United Nations to conduct a “new and truly impartial investigation” into the events of the past year, arguing that only a “purification of truth” could allow the nation to reconcile and move forward.
“The international community stands with you,” she told her supporters, asserting that the interim government had failed to listen to the people’s voices. “Together we are strong, and together we can make our demands heard,” She concluded.
Towards the end of her address Hasina presented the Awami League as the only legitimate custodian of the country’s democratic future. Bangladesh is currently staring down the barrel of their first democratic election since the ouster of Hasina, which the Awami league has been barred from contesting.