Trump win may be a ‘setback’ to anti-India lobbies in Dhaka

SC Jamir’s “nationalist stance” lauded, ‘Christian-State’ project to hit roadblock
Nirendra Dev

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 9: If June 2024 was a period of temporary setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he seems to have overcome the ‘jinxed’ time table with the Haryana elections.

In November Modi is delighted for more reasons than one that ‘my friend” Donald Trump will come back to run the show in Washington.

It is anybody’s guess now that the interim regime in Bangladesh headed by Economist Muhammad Yunus may also face some rough weather. This has links to India’s Northeast.

Firstly, there is no constitutional legitimacy to ad hocism adopted in Dhaka after Trump and Modi-‘friendly’ Sheikh Hasina fled to India. In the past – i.e. in the 2016 US Presidential polls, Bangladesh’s chief adviser Yunus had made a big donation to the Hilary Clinton foundation. Trump has also strongly condemned attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh during the 2024 campaign.

The bitterness between Trump and Bangladesh’s ad hoc ruler dates back to 2016 when Grameen America, the Bangladesh bank’s non-profit US flagship, which Yunus chaired, gave between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Hillary foundation.

Trump – known for displaying bad temper publicly – had made his displeasure about Muhammad Yunus to a Bangladesh’s official delegation and had asked, “Where is the micro-finance guy from Dhaka… I heard he donated to see me lose.”

Circa 2024, Trump tweeted a condemnation of the “barbaric violence against Hindus,

Christians and other minorities, who are being attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a state of chaos”.

Thus all these are leading analysts to draw inference that a supposed ‘Christian-state’ as proposed by carving out 3 nations ~ Bangladesh, India and Myanmar ~ may also suffer a setback as that was essentially a Democrat project.

Mandarins in Delhi feel the statements by Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma in September, 2024 and Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio on Oct 29, 2024 (about Zo and Naga integration) could be linked as well.

Delhi Babus ~ against the backdrop of what has been going on ~ has taken note of another speech made on October 29 at Kohima on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Nagaland Assembly.

That’s by former CM and ex-Gujarat Governor SC Jamir.

“Let us be faithful to the oath we have taken in the name of God…and that is to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India…For me I am committed to that oath…and I believe you (all) have also taken the oath in the name of God.”

The statement left the pro-nationalist think tanks and BJP central leaders impressed.

Home Minister Amit Shah met Jamir for a one-on-one interaction in the capital on November 7 and discussed things in detail. (see snap)

There is always an “emotional moment” when a veteran leader Jamir (93) talks about safeguarding India’s interests and constitutional propriety, say mandarins.

“What Mizo CM and his Nagaland counterpart could not do despite being in office was done by a former CM and former Governor”, says an analyst.

“It does not matter whether Jamir is still a Congressman or an ex-Congressman. What matters is what he stands for”, this school of thought suggests.

They also point out that in the past no less than PM Modi had described SC Jamir as a “statesman”.

The Government of India has been keeping eyes on developments in Manipur vis-à-vis Myanmar and also Bangladesh, especially after Sheikh Hasina had hinted about foreign involvement in the mass protest of July-August and linked it to a possible Christian-land project.

All these came against the backdrop of unprecedented violence in Manipur in 2023 and also 2 statements from 2 serving Chief Ministers this year. Amit Shah and Manipur CM N Biren Singh had earlier charged foreign elements’ involvement in Manipur violence.

On the other hand, even Nagaland Congress leader K Therie has shared his unhappiness at the manner Rio flagged off the ‘Naga integration’ issue on October 29 “at this juncture”.

The Government of India believes all stakeholders in Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur must see reason and accept the historical territorial landscape. It is anybody’s guess whether such critical issues figured in Jamir-Amit Shah talks.

On the other side, Bangladeshi leaders have claimed in the past that Washington has been eyeing St. Martin’s Island, a small island in the southernmost part of the country. Hence, Trump’s return suggests the incumbent rulers in Dhaka would be unnerved.

The Government of India would also heave a sigh of relief if any ‘Christian-state’ project carving out of 3 nations is dropped from Washington’s agenda.

Moreover, ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina had good working rapport with Trump. A healthy axis between Modi-Trump and Hasina could also bring normalcy both in violence-hit Manipur and also Bangladesh, sources say.

Yunus had even gone to the extent of calling Trump’s victory in the US presidential election in 2016 against Hillary Clinton “a solar eclipse… black days”.

Trump is not really known as someone to forgive such criticisms easily.