Kolkata Correspondent //

Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh and current Rajya Sabha member Harshvardhan Shringla has said that Jamaat can come to power only if there are irregularities in the upcoming election in Bangladesh. He claims that Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has never won in a fair election, and will never be able to in the future.

The former Indian Foreign Secretary made these comments in response to a question from journalists while appearing at an event marking the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Siliguri, West Bengal on Friday. He said, “Someone is bringing them (Jamaat) first. Even then, they will be able to come (to power) only if there are irregularities in the election. Otherwise, it is impossible to come.”

He also said that Jamaat has never won in a ‘free and fair election’, and will never be able to in the future. In the past, they have never gotten more than five to seven percent of the votes. They do not have that kind of public support.

Earlier, Harsh Vardhan Shringla said, ‘You have seen the statement made by India. We want a free, fair and inclusive election in Bangladesh, where all parties can participate. But I have not seen such a situation. I do not know whether there will be an election or not. There are security concerns there. And even if there is an election, we have to see under what circumstances. There are many uncertainties, there are questions.’

Regarding Bangladesh not playing the T20 World Cup in India, he said, I have served as an ambassador in Bangladesh, I have many friends there. Every time I have spoken to them; they have said that Bangladesh is making a big mistake. This is an interim government, not a permanent government. They were not brought to power through elections either. The people did not bring them, they came on their own. They are taking such decisions about the future of sports in Bangladesh. That is not right and that is their matter to think about, not ours.

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