However, while his earnestness to project bolder, more confident persona of himself at a time of national crisis in Bangladesh was understandable, not even his allies, let alone his many opponents, were apparently impressed with his rhetoric.

Dr Yunus said now it was time for Bangladesh to move ahead, on the path of a fresh phase of inclusive economic growth. Addressing a select gathering of intellectuals celebrating the International Language Day, (February 21) he warned people not to let the earlier days of Fascist dictatorship, lawlessness and corruption return, in an indirect reference to the outgoing Awami league regime. During the past six months, Bangladesh had gone through a radical transformation for the better, according to him.

The country, Yunus, explained, had emerged much stronger, more creative and cohesive than ever before, during the last few months. Bangladeshi boys and girls were the dynamic drivers of the new spirit of change, during the historic days of what had come to be called 'the July revolution'. Today's young generation was keen to engage boldly in the process of change all over the world. They fully understood the urgent need for socio-economic development and in particular, the right of every country to share the world's resources in a fair equitable manner, The world's progress must be inclusive and no one should felt deprived or left behind in the just struggle for a better life, he said. .

The old days of political misrule and corruption-riddled governance were finally over. He was addressing a select gathering marking the special cultural significance of February 21 in the country's history. In 1952 on this day, five youths had been shot dead by Pakistani police while protesting for the recognition of Bengali as an official language at par with Urdu. .

Somehow, stirring as his rhetoric was, the impact of his noble exhortations in Bangladesh was not immediately noticeable,

To give an example of how influential sections of public opinion makers there reacted to the ongoing series of incidents of violence and related matters, some Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leaders strongly spoke out on the present situation.

This was significant, Jamaatis in general are known to be Islamic fundamentalists, but more importantly, their numerous organisations had firmly supported Dr Yunus. Further, their supporters were allegedly involved in numerous incidents of mass violence that had erupted in many districts of Bangladesh after the August 5 2024 anti Hasina coup, resulting in hundreds of deaths of students, Awami League activists, policemen and Hindus, among others---- not to mention the destruction of official property, and cultural monuments.

Yet, here was prominent Jamaat leader Amir Shafiqur Rahman lashing out against the interim government , by condemning present trends that in his view were continuing to hurt the country, especially the poor people and workers. He specifically referred to the illegal activities of crime syndicates and armed gangs, which were busy exploiting common people, much as before, even as their extortions drove up the prices of essential items, a crime that hurt society as a whole. Rahman explained that while as a Jamaati he had wholeheartedly welcomed the ouster of former Prime Minister and her Fascist regime, it seemed their criminal style of functioning was continuing unabated, even under the new dispensation! This was not acceptable.

At present, let alone the poor and the daily wage earners, even other sections of people were suffering as before, because of the general trends of inflation and lawlessness continuing in Bangladesh. This must end, immediate official steps, he warned the administration, to curb down the activities of armed anti-social gangs were already overdue. The interim rulers, he stressed must not assume that the long suffering people would suffer silently from such criminalisation of society for all times to come.

Dhaka-based media carried his comments in detail. Observers also attached much significance to the JI's view, not least because they are seen as the main pillar of Yunus's support, much more than even the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Northeast India-based analysts monitoring Bangladesh events also commented on what they saw an obvious contradiction between Yunus's perceptions and the prevailing situation. One Assam-based paper analysing the so-called 'glorious revolution' as Yunus often describes the August 5 2024 coup and subsequent events, offered a factually different account of what had been happening in Bangladesh during the last few months.

Quoting stats compiled by the Unity Council of Christians, Buddhists and Hindus in Bangladesh, the paper reported that during the last few months, at least 32 Hindus had been killed, while 13 women were raped. The number of mob attacks/related incidents was 2010, out of which government took only nominal action in some cases.

As for the death toll, UN-sponsored agencies had reported the death of at least 1400 people during the post coup violence. So much for the factual details Dr Yunus-described 'golden period' for Bangladesh. (IPA Service)