Bangladesh Protests: Vivek Ramaswamy Condemns Violence Against Hindus in Bangladesh

Vivek Ramaswamy, former Republican Party presidential candidate, has strongly condemned the deliberate violence against Hindus in Bangladesh following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Vivek Ramaswamy, former Republican Party presidential candidate, has strongly condemned the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh that has followed the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Ramaswamy expressed concern over the current situation, stating that “the quota conflict created to right the wrongs of rape and violence in 1971 is now leading to more rape and violence in 2024.”

Ramaswamy criticised the quota system introduced in Bangladesh after its bloody 1971 war for independence, which aimed to allocate civil service jobs based on specific social groups such as war veterans, rape victims and underrepresented residents.

“The deliberate violence against Hindus in Bangladesh is wrong, disturbing and a cautionary tale against victim-based systems,” Ramaswamy said.

He argued that the system had been a disaster, leading to protests in 2018 that temporarily lifted most quotas. However, the quota system was reinstated this year, sparking further protests that ultimately led to the government’s downfall and the prime minister’s exile. The former presidential candidate also noted a disturbing trend of radicals attacking Hindu minorities amid the chaos. He stressed that “bloodshed is the end point of grievance and victimhood,” and suggested that the United States should learn from the lessons of Bangladesh. “Here’s what happened: Bangladesh fought a bloody war for its independence in 1971. Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi civilians were raped and murdered. It was a tragedy and rightly mourned. However, after this incident, Bangladesh introduced a quota system for civil service positions: 80% of the positions were allocated to specific social groups (war veterans, rape victims, underrepresented residents, etc.), and only 20% were allocated based on merit,” he said in a post on X.

“The quota system has been a disaster. In 2018, protests led Bangladesh to abolish most quotas, but the victim-patrons fought back… and the quota system was reinstated this year. That sparked more protests that toppled the government and sent the prime minister into hiding. Once chaos begins, it is not easily stopped. Radicals are now targeting Hindu minorities. The quota conflict created to right the wrongs of rape and violence in 1971 is now leading to more rape and violence in 2024. Bloodshed is the end point of grief and victimhood. It is hard not to look at Bangladesh and wonder what lessons we should be learning here at home,” he added.

Bangladesh has been experiencing political instability since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5. According to reports by two Hindu organizations in the country, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, members of minority communities in Bangladesh have witnessed at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts. As a result, thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus have sought refuge in neighboring India to escape the ongoing violence.

(With TOI inputs)