Motherland bleeding: Hasina seeks ouster of Yunus-led govt

New Delhi (TIP)- Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday, January 23, warned that her country faces the threat of its territory and resources being “bartered away” to foreign interests, and called on citizens to unite and overthrow the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus.
In a veiled reference to growing foreign influence, including from the US, China and Pakistan, Hasina said, “Dangerously, there is a treacherous plot to barter away the territory and resources of Bangladesh to foreign interests.”
Her recorded audio message, delivered in English, was played at an event titled ‘Save Democracy in Bangladesh’ in New Delhi. Invoking the 1971 Liberation War, she exhorted supporters to “overthrow the foreign-serving puppet regime of Yunus”. Hasina, who was removed from power following mass protests in August 2024, accused Yunus of being a “murderous fascist, money launderer, plunderer and a corrupt, power-hungry traitor” who has “bled the nation dry”.
She alleged that under the Yunus administration, violence, torture and sexual assault against women had gone unchecked, religious minorities faced persecution and “mob terror, mass looting, armed robbery and extortion” had become widespread — referring in particular to recent targeted attacks on the Hindu community.
“Bangladesh today stands at the edge of an abyss, battered and bleeding, navigating one of the most perilous chapters in its history,” Hasina said, describing recent developments as a “monstrous onslaught” by extremist communal forces and foreign perpetrators that had trampled the rights of women and minorities.
Calling the country “a vast prison, an execution ground and a valley of death,” she accused Yunus of orchestrating her ouster through a “meticulously engineered conspiracy”.
Hasina said Yunus’ “false promises” had been replaced by chaos, violence, hatred and corruption. Elections are scheduled for February 12, though the Awami League has been barred from contesting. She issued a five-point call: removal of the “illegal” Yunus administration to restore democracy; an end to street violence; guarantees for the safety of religious minorities, women and vulnerable groups; an end to politically motivated legal action against journalists and opposition members; and a UN-led impartial investigation into events of the past year.