Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has voiced strong condemnation of the recent violence targeting Hindus in Bangladesh following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Ramaswamy, in a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), expressed deep concern over the resurgence of violence and chaos in the country, linking it to the controversial quota system established after Bangladesh’s independence war in 1971.
Ramaswamy highlighted that the quota system, initially intended to address the atrocities of the 1971 war—where hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi civilians were raped and murdered—has ultimately exacerbated divisions. “A quota conflict created to rectify the wrongs of rape and violence in 1971 is now leading to more rape and violence in 2024,” he wrote, emphasizing that the system has become a “cautionary tale for victimhood-laced quota systems.”
The quota system in question was designed to allocate 80% of civil service jobs to specific social groups, including war veterans, rape survivors, and underrepresented communities, leaving only 20% of the jobs to be filled based on merit. However, Ramaswamy pointed out that this approach has been fraught with challenges. In 2018, widespread protests forced the government to temporarily abandon the quotas, but they were reinstated this year, sparking further unrest that ultimately led to the toppling of the government and Hasina’s exile.
Ramaswamy expressed alarm at the escalating violence against Hindu minorities amid the chaos, stating that “bloodshed is the endpoint of grievance and victimhood.” He suggested that the situation in Bangladesh serves as a warning to other nations, including the United States, about the dangers of entrenching societal grievances in policy.
The political situation in Bangladesh has become increasingly volatile since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5. Reports from Hindu organizations, such as the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, indicate that minority communities have suffered at least 205 attacks across 52 districts. In response to the violence, thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus are reportedly seeking refuge in neighboring India.
