Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has urged Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, to “be careful” with the wording of his statement, adding that India does not want tension with Bangladesh.

Rajnath Singh gave an exclusive interview to Indian journalist and editor-in-chief of the country’s media network Network 18 Group, Rahul Joshi, yesterday. A portion of the interview covered the recent India-Bangladesh relations.

In response to a question in the interview, the Indian Defense Minister said, “We do not want tension with Bangladesh. However, Yunus (Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh) should be careful about the wording of his statement.”

“I would like to say one more thing here – India is capable of facing any kind of challenge; but still our main goal is to maintain good relations with our neighbors.”

The Indian central government has been at odds with Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government formed after the July 2024 movement, from the beginning. Some recent incidents have led to a situation where this tension has become more prolonged.

Dr. Muhammad Yunus recently paid a courtesy call and meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CGCSC) of the Pakistan Army, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and a delegation of 5 members of the Turkish Parliament in Dhaka. India has bitter diplomatic relations with both countries.

The Turkish Parliament delegation was led by Turkish MP Mehmet Akif Yilmaz. The interim head of Bangladesh’s government met and held a meeting with them early last week. After the meeting, Muhammad Yunus presented a copy of a book titled ‘Art of Triumph’ to all members of the Turkish delegation.

‘Art of Triumph’ is a collection of various images and graffiti from the July-August 2024 movement and related to this movement. However, the Indian media outlet News18 has alleged that this collection includes an image of a map called ‘Greater Bangladesh’, where the northeastern Indian state of Assam is mentioned as a region included in Bangladesh.

News 18 claims that the book “Eight of Triumph” also contains details about the war plan for the occupation of Assam and how the administration of Assam will be conducted in the post-war situation.

Source: Firstpost