B'desh Turmoil 'Would have been a disgrace for us if we did not help her': Shashi Tharoor on India's decision to shelter ex-Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina
New Delhi/IBNS: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor backed the Indian government's decision to give refuge to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled her country after resigning facing violent anti-quota protests in her backyard, media reports said.
Speaking to NDTV, Tharoor said, "If we had not helped her, it would have been a disgrace for India. Nobody would have wanted to be our friend if we had treated our friend badly. Sheikh Hasina is a friend of India and India is a friend of her. And when a friend is in trouble, you don't look twice before you help them, keep them safe. That's exactly what India has done.
"I applaud the government for doing it. I would have wanted nothing less. As an Indian, we have certain standards we stand for in the world. The government has done right thing to bring her here and ensure her safety."
"How long she wishes to remain is not for us. You don't call someone to your house and ask them when are you leaving. My view is we wait and see, how long she feels she can stay before she moves on.
"There are practical considerations before moving to any other country, there ae visa considerations, other issues. For now, She is with us and we should be proud of the fact that we have stood by a friend when her personal safety was in danger," the opposition MP from Thiruvananthapuram added.
Bangladesh has reported arson, killings, and multiple incidents of persecution of minority communities across 52 districts since Sheikh Hasina's resignation as the Prime Minister on August 5. Two protesters also suffered injuries.
Hasina fled the country the same day amid fears of being mobbed after protests intensified following the death of over 400 agitators in clashes with the cops.
Her residence was stormed by the protesters hours after she left the complex in a military helicopter. She landed at an airbase in India's Uttar Pradesh, hours later.
Incidents of violence, too, continue to be reported from across Bangladesh. Five army personnel were injured and a military vehicle was torched during a clash at an Awami League procession in Gopalganj last afternoon.
Bangladesh is still looking at uncertainty even as a caretaker government has been sworn in under the leadership of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus amid reports of persecution of minority communities that continue to pour in.
Yunus, the interim caretaker backed by the military, appealed for peace during his visit to Rangpur on Saturday as he embraced the mother of a student shot dead by the cops.
He has also appealed for religious unity amid reports of attacks on the minorities in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
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