In Bangladesh, the army is out as violence surges over government plans to reserve nearly 50% of jobs in the civil service to those linked to the 1971 war. In effect, a huge chunk of jobs would go to the families of those who fought for the independence of Bangladesh a half-century ago.
Sreeradha Datta, professor of international relations at Jindal Global University, says this is an emotive issue in Bangladesh given the general scarcity of jobs and in particular, government jobs that are highly prized.
Answering questions on The Gist programme, she faulted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government for not doing enough outreach, appealing to the students who are in the vanguard of this agitation and starting a dialogue.
She does not believe opposition groups have as yet infiltrated the agitation and hijacked it for their ends. But the longer it persists, the greater the window it provides for leveraging it for their own political purposes. There is also the danger that Islamic groups that have strong presence on the ground and are able to mobilise people, could get involved.
Could the agitation turn anti-India? There is every risk of that happening because the public believes India remains Sheikh Hasina’s strongest backer. This view may have strengthened after the recent elections that Sheikh Hasina’s party won easily with the Opposition in jail or locked up.
Can India afford this? Prof Datta points to the pervasive corruption that characterises Hasina’s government, the growing authoritarian tendencies and the pressure on civil society groups and the media to toe her line.
Like it or not, India’s perceived proximity to Hasina’s government gives the impression that it approves of the manner in which she runs it. She is also seen as bowing unduly to India, on issues like road and rail transit through Bangladesh while delivering nothing on the Teesta waters.
Tune in for more in this chat with Prof Sreeradha Datta.
