Muhammad Yunus, Chief Counsel, Bangladesh. file Photo credit: Reuters
India’s “strong protest” in response to a now-deleted Facebook post with an enlarged map of Bangladesh that included neighboring Indian territories has drawn the attention of student-advisors to Bangladesh’s interim government. The Facebook post that drew the MEA’s response appeared on the page of Mahfuz Alam, a student-consultant who was included in the interim government’s advisory council in November.
Mahfuz Alam came into the limelight when he accompanied Professor Yunus during his visit to America in September. At the Clinton Global Initiative event in New York, Professor Yunus introduced Mr. Alam saying, “He is known as the brain behind the entire revolution.” Then, Mr. Alam to Prof. Yunus has been featured in many important activities including his recent visit to Cairo where Bangladesh attended the D-8 Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization. During a visit to Cairo this week, he posted photos of him meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and a Turkish government adviser.
Alam was appointed as a high-level advisor to the interim government on November 11th, and although he does not have any specific ministry under him, he has been making his presence felt in the power structure by making frequent statements on social media. Public Discourse at Dacca. Soon after being sworn in as the highest body of advisers to the interim government, he announced that the portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, had been removed from the Durbar Hall of Bang Bhavan, the official residence of the President of Bangladesh.
In a post on December 4, Mr. Alam indicated the prevailing sentiment among student-consultants in the interim government, saying, “The Indophiles, or Indian sympathizers, in this part of Bengal are thinking that things are going to cool down and bypassing the July uprising and fascist atrocities will cost them nothing.” .This is the wrong idea people are watching!
Mahfuz Alam was one of the many student-organizers of the July-August student-people uprising that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government. He became an adviser in November, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiya were among others who joined the interim government in August. Nahid Islam is in charge of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraph and Information and Broadcasting, while Asif Mahmud has been given the responsibility of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Local Government.
All three student advisers of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (Student movement against Baisomo), the governing body of the July–August uprising. Apart from the three other prominent student-organizers who have a wide following among the youth, they are Hasnat Abdullah and Sergis Alam – both known for their fiery speeches.
The two participated in a large rally in Dhaka on December 10 to mark International Human Rights Day, giving an indication of the prevailing mood among advisers to the Yunus government. Earlier in the day, Dhaka hosted Indian Foreign Secretary Bikram Mishri who visited Bangladesh on August 5 after Sheikh Hasina fled India. Prof. During Yunus’ visit, both sides called for “constructive” bilateral relations. However, the next day the student-consultants said that Bangladesh should take a firm stand when involving India. Addressing the gathering, Hasnat Abdullah said the days of “knee-jerk” diplomacy were over for Bangladesh and Dhaka would confront India on important issues such as Ms Hasina’s presence on Indian soil.
“Sheikh Hasina has been running a policy of killing, kidnapping for years and we want to tell India not to become a safe house for terrorist suspects. A knee-jerk relationship with India will not be allowed. Relations with India should be confrontational,’ said Hasanat Abdullah. In the same rally, Sergis Alam said, ‘India’s relationship with Bangladesh is possible if it is respectful.
Sergis Alam is also the Secretary General of the July Martyrs Memorial Foundation, an organization started by the interim government to support the families of victims of the July 2024 police crackdown. The large crowds at the rally and widespread student engagement on social media—advisors to the interim government and student-organizers of the anti-discrimination student movement—indicate their growing influence in Bangladesh.
published – December 21, 2024 at 10:00 PM IST