By Ankita Paul

Copyright republicworld

In a fresh rant against India, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, said tensions in ties with India stem from India’s hosting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted from power following a student uprising.In an interview in New York, where he is attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Yunus said, “We have problems with India right now because they didn’t like what the students have done. They are hosting Hasina, the former prime minister who created all these problems and killed young people. That creates a lot of tension between India and Bangladesh.”Voicing support for the student movement in Bangladesh that led to Hasina’s ouster, Yunus accused India of being involved in spreading fake news.”Also, lots of fake news is coming from the other side, making all kinds of propaganda that this is an Islamist movement that has taken over Bangladesh. They say I am a Taliban too,” Yunus said.Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a Student-led uprising, known as the July uprising or July revolution, in August last year. She fled to India, and an interim government was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Laureate. Since then, Hasina has been staying in India.Bangladesh’s Election Commission has said that the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina and her family members will not be able to vote in the upcoming national elections to be held in February next year, local newspapers reported on Thursday.He also criticized India over SAARC, stating that it is not functioning because it doesn’t “fit into the politics of one country.””SAARC is a family of very close members; the whole idea of SAARC was born in Bangladesh. Now you are telling me that we are enemies with one another. The whole point of SAARC was for all of us to come together. We study in each other’s countries, we can conduct trade with each other—this was the whole idea,” he said.He advocated for reviving SAARC, comparing it to the European Union.”One of the first things we should do is revive SAARC. It’s a wonderful idea. We can visit each other without needing a visa. We can do business and settle down in any country in South Asia,” he said.In a fresh critique regarding the connectivity of India’s seven northeastern states to the Indian Ocean, he said, “The northeastern states in India don’t have access to the Indian Ocean.”When asked about Trump’s tariffs, the chief of Bangladesh’s interim government said, “We are very lucky in that sense; we got a good deal.”On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Yunus held a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.Sharif extended an invitation to Yunus to visit Pakistan before the conclusion of the interim government’s tenure, according to reports.Earlier, on Tuesday, Yunus attended a reception hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in New York at Trump’s invitation, who was also in New York for the UN General Assembly.”During the reception, he exchanged pleasantries with President Trump and several global leaders, including King Felipe VI of Spain, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay,” a statement from the Chief Adviser’s office read on its X handle.The Chief Adviser also met U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor during the reception, the statement added.Also Read: BJP Announces Election In-Charges For West Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu