Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir. File Photo

DHAKA, Jan 06, 2025 (BSS) – Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir has said Bangladesh, for over a decade, lived under the shadow of a regime that turned "elections into farces, dissent into treason, and the press into a pliant karaoke machine".
 
He said the ousted Hasina government was not content with just running the country; it wanted to own it, complete with a monopoly on truth.
 
“And yet, many Indian media outlets covered her like she was the reincarnation of Florence Nightingale with a hint of Indira Gandhi — a benevolent savior wrapped in a saree,” he wrote in Facebook post shared from his verified account.

The DPS said the Indian media carried the stories with headlines that painted Hasina as the custodian of regional stability, the queen of economic growth, the counterterrorism champion.

“All the while, you conveniently ignored the cracks in her carefully curated narrative: the enforced disappearances, the muzzled media, and the rigged elections that would make even the most seasoned dictator blush.

But hey, why bother with facts when you’ve got a heroine to glorify, right?” he said.

“Let’s not pretend this is about friendship, either,” Apurba said, adding that India’s political elite has long seen Bangladesh as the pliant younger sibling—a nation to scold, co-opt, and control.

He said Hasina fit neatly into that box. "She gave you border deals, connectivity agreements, and a steady hand against your own domestic insurgencies.

 In return, you turned a blind eye to her despotic tendencies, spinning her reign as one long, glorious Durga Puja of democracy."

And now, Apurba said, as the interim government of Bangladesh charts a new path—one rooted in accountability, transparency, and genuine public service—“you’ve shifted gears”.

“Suddenly, we’re painted as a ‘threat to stability,’ a rogue element disrupting the cozy status quo, the next villain of “Pathan”.

 Never mind that our goal is to restore the democratic rights that Hasina trampled on.

 Never mind that our mandate is to fix what she broke,” he said in his Facebook post.

But here is a little secret: Bangladesh is not India’s pawn, and it never was, he said.

“We’re not here to play second fiddle in your geopolitical symphony, and we’re certainly not here to rubber-stamp your propaganda. We’re a nation with our own dreams, our own struggles, and yes, our own flavors—bold, unapologetic, and unforgettable,” the DPS said.

Referring to his friends in the Indian media, Apurba said here is a piece of advice: go easy on the favoritism. “Don’t mistake loyalty to a leader for loyalty to a nation.”
 
“As for us? We’ll keep cooking up something better—a future where democracy isn’t a garnish, but the main course,” he added.