 "Why did US readout on Modi-Biden call omit Bangladesh crisis? The controversy explained")
After making a historic visit to Ukraine last Friday (August 23), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden about several global and regional issues.
Following the phone call , as per protocol, both sides issued a readout of the conversation that the two world leaders had. New Delhi’s readout of the conversation stated that Modi discussed the situation in Ukraine with Biden over the phone. The two leaders — Modi and Biden — also discussed the situation in Bangladesh and the ongoing tumult.
Meanwhile, the White House issued a separate statement, saying Biden commended Modi’s recent visit to Poland and Ukraine , and that both leaders expressed “support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with international law, on the basis of the UN Charter.”
Do you see the difference here? One mentioned Bangladesh explicitly, while the other didn’t. What happened? Why are there two separate readouts of the same conversation? We explain.
Two readouts, one call
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden had a meaningful conversation about several issues pertaining to the world and the region. Modi posted online that he discussed the situation in Ukraine with Biden over the phone and “reiterated India’s full support for early return of peace and stability”.
The phone call came after Modi visited Ukraine — a first by an Indian prime minister. During his visit, PM Modi urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war and offered to help bring peace.
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More ShortsSpoke to @POTUS @JoeBiden on phone today. We had a detailed exchange of views on various regional and global issues, including the situation in Ukraine. I reiterated India’s full support for early return of peace and stability.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 26, 2024
We also discussed the situation in Bangladesh and…
Modi said the two leaders also discussed the situation in Bangladesh where protests continue to take place even after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina . Reports state that several attacks against Hindus have been perpetrated in the protests, an issue that Modi has also taken up with Muhammad Yunus , the chief of the interim government. New Delhi has been pressing for the safety and security of minorities in the neighbouring country.
On the other, the readout of telephonic conversation issued by the White House said that Biden commended Modi’s visit to the two European nations and that both leaders expressed “support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with international law, on the basis of the UN Charter”.
In a post on ‘X’, Biden said, “I spoke with Prime Minister Modi to discuss his recent trip to Poland and Ukraine, and commended him for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine.”
“We also affirmed our commitment to working together to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” Biden said.
Buzz over Bangladesh silence
Soon after both sides issued their statements on the phone call between the two world leaders, people noted the US’ silence on the issue of Bangladesh, with some speculating that it was an indication of unease in ties between the White House and Dhaka.
Congress leader Pawan Khera questioned, “Why does the press release from the White House not mention Bangladesh while our press note does?”
The Congress leader in another tweet wrote, “If our prime minister did raise the issue of ‘safety and security of the minorities, particularly Hindus’ in Bangladesh, why did Joe Biden not think it was important enough to mention in his press note?”
Derek J Grossman, a senior defence analyst at RAND Corporation, also questioned the difference in the two readouts, writing on X, “Washington neglects to mention Bangladesh.”
India clarifies
As the issue started getting traction on social media, Kanchan Gupta, a government advisor, sought to clear the matter. In a post on X, he wrote, Congress media head Pawan Khera’s comments regarding Government of India’s press release on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tele-conversation with President Biden on Monday are completely misplaced.”
He further explained, “It is a common practice for separate press releases to be issued following conversations, which may or may not reflect all issues discussed. It is only when there is a joint press release or joint statement that both sides issue similar press releases.”
“To say that any issue that may be missing in either of the press releases was not discussed is inaccurate and avoidable,” he wrote in conclusion.
Experts speak
While the Indian side has sought to explain the issue away, there are others who believe there’s more than meets the eye.
Some geopolitical experts note that the US’ readout of the phone call exhibits its growing unease with Bangladesh. Strategic thinker Brahma Chellaney explained that this was a sign that “Washington not on the same page with India regarding Bangladesh”.
He wrote on X, “The US sought to prevent the birth of Bangladesh. But even today, it is not on the same page with India regarding Bangladesh. It has welcomed the recent regime change there and been silent on ongoing human-rights abuses, including attacks on minorities, arbitrary arrests, forced resignations and physical assaults on political detainees,” he said.
“When Biden called Modi last evening, they discussed Bangladesh and shared concerns about the situation there, as the Indian readout pointed out. But the White House readout, tellingly, does not disclose the Bangladesh-related discussion. Shared interests in the Indo-Pacific or US support for Indian engagement with Ukraine cannot obscure the fact that, in India’s own neighbourhood extending from Myanmar to the Pakistan-Afghanistan belt, American interests do not align with core Indian interests,” Chellaney added.
Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre think-tank in Washington, had another explanation. Explaining the omission of Bangladesh in the US readout, he said, “I suspect that’s because the main US motivation for the call (placed by Biden) was to discuss Modi’s Ukraine visit, which happened just a few days ago. The US likely didn’t feel a need to highlight the Bangladesh part of the discussion in the way that India wanted to.”
Kanwal Sibal, the former foreign secretary to the Government of India, also noted US’ omission of Bangladesh. He said: “In the White House readout there is no mention of Bangladesh at all, much less the issue of the safety and security of minorities, particularly Hindus. The US has missed again an occasion to express or share concern about the Hindu minority in Bangladesh. They are only concerned about minorities in India. Difficult to comprehend the US position. Clearly, they buy or promote the BD narrative that the Hindu minority is either safe or reports on their plight are exaggerated.”
It is hard to miss that since chaos ensued in Bangladesh, prompting Hasina’s ouster and quick getaway from the country, the US has been relatively silent on the issue. In fact, amid these developments, Bangladeshi media reported parts of an undelivered speech by Hasina in which she accused the US of pressuring her to allow the establishment of a naval base on St Martin’s Island . She stated in that apparent speech that if she had handed over St Martin’s Island to the US, her government would have survived.
However, Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed , refuted any such speech.
With inputs from agencies
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