During a visit to the United States, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi expressed confidence that stability would soon be restored in Bangladesh.
In an interview on Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, Rahul said: “I’m confident that things will stabilize in Bangladesh, and we would be able to have a relationship with the current government or any future government,” NDTV reported citing Press Trust of India (PTI).
In response to a question about Bangladesh, Rahul said: “There are concerns in India about extremist elements in Bangladesh and we share some of those concerns.”
He further elaborated: “We raised it (Bangladesh), and they also spoke to us. Look, we are against any type of violence. And we want it to stop. And it’s the responsibility, frankly, of the Bangladeshi government to stop it as soon as possible. From our side, it’s the responsibility of our government to put pressure so that that violence stops.”
Earlier, Rahul met with a group of lawmakers at the US Capitol, where the topic of Bangladesh was discussed.
Turning to other foreign policy issues, Rahul expressed alignment with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Pakistan, especially on terrorism. He affirmed that India’s position remains firm in refusing to engage in dialogue with Pakistan until it halts terrorist activities.
Regarding the Middle East, Rahul condemned the violence from both sides in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. While disapproving Hamas’s October 7 resistance campaign on Israel, he was critical of Israel’s military offensive, which has resulted in significant civilian casualties.
However, Rahul reserved his sharpest criticism for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of China, particularly in the Ladakh region.
He accused the government of mishandling the territorial dispute, claiming that Chinese troops had taken control of 4,000 square kilometers of Indian territory.