Bangladesh wanted good ties with India, but 'something always went wrong': Yunus

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said that his interim government wanted good relations with India, but "something always went wrong".

During an interaction with Chatham House think tank director Bronwen Maddox in London on Wednesday (June 11), Yunus addressed a wide range of issues, including bilateral ties with India and the democratic roadmap for the country, starting with a “July Charter” next month.

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India-Bangladesh ties

Maddox referenced an informal diplomatic note issued to India seeking the extradition of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and asked for an update on the matter.

“This will continue. We want the whole process to be very legal, very proper. We want to build the best relationship with India. It’s our neighbour; we don’t want to have any kind of fundamental problems with them,” Yunus said.

Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have remained tense since Hasina's ouster, who later took refuge in India. She faces multiple cases in Bangladesh after being forced to flee from Dhaka on August 5 last year, after a major student-led agitation.

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Cyberspace tensions

Yunus, who assumed charge following Hasina’s ouster in August 2024, said Bangladesh was growing increasingly “jittery and angry" due to repeated online disinformation campaigns by the Indian press.

“But somehow, things go wrong every time because of all the fake news coming from the Indian press and many people say it has connections with top policymakers,” he added.

“We try to get over this anger, but a whole barrage of things keeps happening in cyberspace. We can’t get away from that. Suddenly they say something or do something, and the anger returns. This is our big task now — to ensure we can at least have a peaceful life, to go on with our lives, to create the life we are dreaming of,” he added.

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Post-Hasina fallout

Responding to an audience question about the “unclear role of India” regarding Hasina, Yunus said: “All the anger (against Hasina) has now transferred to India because she went there.”

“When I had a chance to talk to Prime Minister Modi, I simply said: You want to host her, I cannot force you to abandon that policy. But please help us ensure that she doesn’t speak to the Bangladeshi people the way she does online. She announces a date and time, and when she speaks, the whole of Bangladesh gets very angry,” Yunus noted.

Yunus claimed Prime Minister Modi told him that Hasina's social media activities could not be controlled. “It’s an explosive situation. You can’t just walk away by saying it’s social media,” he added.

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Elections next year

Yunus announced last week that national elections will be held by the first half of 2026. Asked if he would consider joining the elected government, Yunus replied: “No way.”

He arrived in the UK on Tuesday for a four-day visit and he was greeted by protests from Hasina’s Awami League party members in the UK.

Yunus is expected to meet King Charles III and senior members of the British government during the visit.