Former Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday condemned the ongoing attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, saying the quota system proved to be a disaster. "The targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh is wrong, it's concerning, and it's a cautionary tale for victimhood-laced quota systems," he said in a detailed tweet.
Giving a background of what triggered the protest and fall of Sheikh Hasina, Ramaswamy said Bangladesh fought a bloody war for its independence in 1971. "Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi civilians were raped and murdered. It was a tragedy, and it was rightly mourned. But in its aftermath, Bangladesh implemented a quota system for jobs in their civil service: 80% of the jobs were allocated to specific social groups (war veterans, rape victims, underrepresented residents, etc.), and only 20% were allocated based on merit."
In 2018, the American entrepreneur said, protests led Bangladesh to scrap most of the quotas, but the victim-patrons fought back and the quota system was reinstated this year. "That triggered more protests which toppled the government, and the prime minister fled. Once chaos begins, it can't easily be reined in."
"Radicals are now targeting Hindu minorities," he said, adding that a quota conflict created to rectify the wrongs of rape and violence in 1971 is now leading to more rape and violence in 2024. "Bloodshed is the endpoint of grievance and victimhood. It's hard not to look at Bangladesh and wonder what lessons we would do well to learn right here at home."
On Monday, a Hindu Grand Alliance said the Hindu community in Bangladesh had faced attacks and threats in 278 locations across 48 districts. The alliance said the incidents of vandalism, looting, arson, land grabbing, and threats to leave the country have been repeatedly inflicted on the Hindu community due to the shifting political landscape.
"This is not just an attack on individuals but an assault on the Hindu religion," said Palash Kanti Dey, spokesperson of the alliance, in a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka. "As of Monday, there have been attacks and threats against the Hindu community in 278 locations across 48 districts. We have conveyed our concerns to Home Affairs Advisor Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain who has assured us that these issues will be raised at the next cabinet meeting," he was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.