Arun Jaitley
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha has expressed his views on a matter of utmost importance — the continued rise of jihadi elements in neighbouring Bangladesh, a country with a minority Hindu population. Jaitley says that he had hoped the recent general election in the nation would bring stability to it by strengthening the democratic process there but unfortunately that did not happen. He expresses concern that the post-poll violence has had one very specific target — the Hindus of Bangladesh. Should Government of India step in to protect Hindus in Bangladesh? “Houses have been burnt and individuals are being attacked. The already insecure Hindu minority is being threatened further. Media reports suggest that most of these attacks have taken place at the behest of the Jamat-e-Islami and even the BNP. It is noteworthy that the Hindu population which was around 30% at the time of independence is currently between 10 to 12 per cent as per the recent estimates,” Jaitley writes. Images: Bangladeshi Hindus suffer Jamaat-BNP ire Jaitley also mentions that the plight of Hindus in Pakistan is worse than it is Bangladesh. He cites a report in a leading English daily which carried a statement by the Pakistan Hindu Council about sexual harrassment of Hindu women in Pakistan. Jaitley ends his article with hopes that the Government of India will respond to the mistreatment of Hindus in these countries.