Amid Bangladesh Turmoil, Akhilesh Yadav's 'Foreign Policy' Advice To Centre

Against the backdrop of the turmoil in Bangladesh, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has said that any country using the conditions in another to fulfil its political designs within its borders weakens itself both internally and externally. While Mr Yadav has not named any country, his remarks are significant at a time when the attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh have been used by a section to blame a community. 

Mr Yadav wrote two social media posts, roughly four hours apart, on Monday. In the second, he names Bangladesh and calls on the interim government there to ensure that Hindus, other minorities and even people in the majority community "with a different viewpoint" do not become victims of violence. He also urges the Centre to take up attacks against minorities with the global community, calling it a matter of India's defence and "internal security".

In the first post on X, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief also said that while interference in another country's affairs is not desirable, remaining a silent spectator when a neighbour is facing turmoil and violence is a failure of foreign policy.

Mr Yadav wrote in Hindi, "World history is witness that in different countries, violent mass revolutions, military coups, anti-government movements have been taking place for various reasons, right or wrong... In such a situation, only that country has been revived whose society, even in that turbulent time of powerlessness, has protected the lives, property and honour of its citizens by considering and protecting everyone equally without discriminating on the basis of birth, religion, ideology, majority or minority of the population or any other political animosity or negative, narrow thinking."

"One thing to be specially highlighted is that history teaches that the power which uses the political conditions of another country to fulfil its political designs within its own country, weakens the country at both internal and external levels," he asserted. 

Apparently calling on the Centre to activate its "silent foreign policy", collaborate with the global community and find meaningful solutions to the problems in a country with which India is culturally related, the SP chief also pointed to other troubled portions of the neighbourhood. 

"The government which remains a silent spectator in such a situation should believe that it is the failure of its foreign policy that the conditions in the countries adjacent to it in all directions are neither normal nor favourable for it. This means that from the 'geopolitical' point of view, there has been a big mistake in its foreign policy. Peace can be brought to the various troubled regions of the world only by binding a large geographical area with the thread of cultural neutrality, mutual understanding and brotherhood," he wrote. 

'Protect Minorities'

Posting again a few hours later, Mr Yadav called on the Bangladesh government to protect Hindus and other minorities in the country. 

"No community, whether it is the majority in Bangladesh with a different viewpoint or the minority of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists or any other religion, sect, or belief, should become a victim of violence," he wrote in Hindi. 

"The Indian government should strictly raise this issue at the international level as a matter of protection of human rights. This is also a very sensitive issue for our defence and internal security," he added.