India's Modi voices concern over unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed concern over the unrest that led to a change of government in neighbouring Bangladesh and the attacks on Hindus and other minorities there.

Modi addressed his nation from New Delhi's 17th-century Mughal-era Red Fort on its 78th Independence Day and assured Bangladesh that India would continue to support it in developing its economy.

"We hope the situation gets normal there soon," Modi said in a speech broadcast live.

Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on Aug. 5 after weeks of violent protests that prompted her ouster.

She is likely to stay in New Delhi until she decides where she will seek asylum. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power in Bangladesh and is expected to organise fresh elections.

During the protests in Bangladesh, many Hindu homes, shops and businesses were attacked. Yunus met with Hindu community leaders earlier this week and assured them of their protection.

The student-led protests began in July against a quota system for government jobs that critics said benefitted people with connections to Hasina's party. The protests morphed into a movement against her government, leaving more than 300 people dead including students and police officers in the ensuing violence.

Aug. 15 marks India's independence from British colonialists in 1947, but it was also the day in 1975 when Bangladesh's first leader after independence, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the father of Hasina, was assassinated in a military coup.

Hasina survived by not being in the country. India gave her refuge, and she lived in Delhi from 1975 until her return to Bangladesh in 1981.

Modi said Thursday that India believes in peace and not war, and is on the path of rapid economic development. It aspires to be a developed nation by 2047 when it completes 100 years of independence from British colonialists, he added.

In his nearly 90-minute speech, Modi did not refer to India's tense ties with neighbouring Pakistan and China, or any steps to improve relations with them.

Wearing a flowing, cream-coloured turban printed with small stripes of orange, yellow and black, he said the government over the next five years would focus on driving domestic growth through skill development, job production and the promotion of small businesses.

More than a decade after he first took office as prime minister, Modi is under pressure to generate more jobs to help sustain growth.

He said India will be guided by the ideals of self-reliance and global partnerships to thrive in science and technology, establish industries, and attain food and energy security. He said India was attracting large investments from abroad that he hoped would turn the country into a manufacturing hub.

Modi returned as India's prime minister for a third five-year term in recent national elections. His Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party failed to win a majority of its own in the 543-member lower house of Parliament, but formed the government with the help of its allies.

His government's budget presented to Parliament last month said the inflation rate is stable and moving toward the government's 4% target, while the economy grew at a sizzling 8.2% rate in the last fiscal year.

The 2024-25 budget proposed a $24 billion package for job creation over the next five years, raising spending on loans for small- and medium-sized businesses. It allocated $18 billion to support agriculture and farm technology, such as climate-resilient seed varieties.

Modi on Thursday also called for a non-discriminatory uniform civil code that would govern marriage and other aspects of life of all citizens regardless of their religion. Hindus constitute nearly 80%, and Muslims 14%, of India's 1.4 billion people. They have separate personal laws covering marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance.

By RSS/AP