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Detailing the dissimilarities in the two situations - in Bangladesh and in India- the Dhaka Tribune, in a detailed analysis written by Humayun Ahmed Shrabon, said the two protests cannot be compared, as in one over 1400 people were killed, while in India people were detained and released the same evening.
The July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh led to the resignation of its former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The protests in Bangladesh, he noted, began with demands for reform of the government job quota system; however, they soon turned into the uprising following the state’s action. Shrabon also noted that unlike Bangladesh, Indian have multiple channels to express dissatisfaction with the government in a democratic setup. Citing the Jayaprakash Narayan-led movement in the 1970s in India, the Dhaka Tribune highlighted that even after the 1975 Emergency, the then Congress government faced a defeat in the polls in 1977. While noting the importance of questioning the institutions in a democracy, Shrabon wrote, “Bangladesh’s experience can serve as a warning for Indian protesters, but the possibilities offered by India’s own constitutional system should not be overlooked.” The Dhaka Tribune also said that assuming the results of protests will be the same in India means overlooking the local politics and “oversimplifying the political reality.” This comes amid a political row over the use of the term “regime change” in the context of the ongoing protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has accused the opposition party, Congress and its allies of attempting to replicate a Bangladesh-style political upheaval in India, alleging that the protests were aimed at creating unrest rather than addressing electoral reforms. “Attempts are being made to turn the country''s youth into pawns of anarchic politics. Regime change is being pursued on the lines of Bangladesh,” Singh said in a press conference in Lucknow. BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also criticised Congress leader P Chidambaram over his remarks defending the use of the phrase “regime change”, alleging that taking inspiration from Bangladesh was not democratic and exposing the Opposition''s “anarchy”. Chidambaram had questioned the BJP''s reaction to the phrase “regime change”, describing it as a normal political process in a democracy. In a post on X, the Congress leader said, “Why is the BJP apoplectic with feigned rage at the use of the phrase ''regime change''? ''Regime change'' is normal in a democracy.” (ANI)
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