Chief Adviser\u2019s Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir has said Bangladesh, for over a decade, lived under the shadow of a regime that turned \"elections into farces, dissent into treason, and the press into a pliant karaoke machine\".
He said the ousted Hasina government was not content with just running the country; it wanted to own it, complete with a monopoly on truth.
\u201cAnd yet, many Indian media outlets covered her like she was the reincarnation of Florence Nightingale with a hint of Indira Gandhi \u2014 a benevolent savior wrapped in a saree,\u201d he wrote in Facebook post shared from his verified account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DPS said the Indian media carried the stories with headlines that painted Hasina as the custodian of regional stability, the queen of economic growth, the counterterrorism champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll the while, you conveniently ignored the cracks in her carefully curated narrative: the enforced disappearances, the muzzled media, and the rigged elections that would make even the most seasoned dictator blush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But hey, why bother with facts when you\u2019ve got a heroine to glorify, right?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s not pretend this is about friendship, either,\u201d Apurba said, adding that India\u2019s political elite has long seen Bangladesh as the pliant younger sibling\u2014a nation to scold, co-opt, and control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said Hasina fit neatly into that box. \"She gave you border deals, connectivity agreements, and a steady hand against your own domestic insurgencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In return, you turned a blind eye to her despotic tendencies, spinning her reign as one long, glorious Durga Puja of democracy.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And now, Apurba said, as the interim government of Bangladesh charts a new path\u2014one rooted in accountability, transparency, and genuine public service\u2014\u201cyou\u2019ve shifted gears\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSuddenly, we\u2019re painted as a \u2018threat to stability,\u2019 a rogue element disrupting the cozy status quo, the next villain of \u201cPathan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Never mind that our goal is to restore the democratic rights that Hasina trampled on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Never mind that our mandate is to fix what she broke,\u201d he said in his Facebook post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But here is a little secret: Bangladesh is not India\u2019s pawn, and it never was, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not here to play second fiddle in your geopolitical symphony, and we\u2019re certainly not here to rubber-stamp your propaganda. We\u2019re a nation with our own dreams, our own struggles, and yes, our own flavors\u2014bold, unapologetic, and unforgettable,\u201d the DPS said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Referring to his friends in the Indian media, Apurba said here is a piece of advice: go easy on the favoritism. \u201cDon\u2019t mistake loyalty to a leader for loyalty to a nation.\u201d
\u201cAs for us? We\u2019ll keep cooking up something better\u2014a future where democracy isn\u2019t a garnish, but the main course,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chief Adviser\u2019s Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir has said Bangladesh, for over a decade, lived under the shadow of a regime that turned \"elections into farces, dissent into treason, and the press into a pliant karaoke machine\". He said the ousted Hasina government was not content with just running the country; it wanted to own it, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,93],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-26355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bangladesh","category-nationwide","tag-54"],"yoast_head":"\n