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Yunus's shameless lies with BBC Bangla

On Monday, March 3, 2025, Professor Yunus set another example of his shameless lies in an interview with BBC Bangla. Below are the main instances of his falsehoods:

At the beginning of the interview, BBC Bangla editor Mir Sabbir mentioned that during their last conversation, Yunus had expressed fear of being arrested. However, Yunus directly denied that he was ever in fear, saying, "I had no fear. There was a possibility that they would take me. I was taking it easy, thinking if they take me, they take me. There was nothing I could do."

Let's see what Yunus had said in his previous interview. BBC Bangla conducted that interview on March 2, 2024. At that time, he clearly expressed his personal fear. In his own words, "Everything in my personal life has been shattered. My wife is a dementia patient. She cannot recognize anyone except me. I am responsible for her care. What will happen to my wife if I have to stay in jail?" He also said, "I cannot make any plans. There is a kind of uncertainty for me and everyone involved with me." Yunus expressed concern about his wife's illness and the uncertainty of his and his subordinates' future, which is very natural. But is it not a lie to deny all this now?

In response to the first question from BBC, Yunus also said, "When the government was formed, I had no thoughts or concerns that I would suddenly become the head of a government and take on responsibilities." Is this believable when he publicly announced at an event in the United States last September that the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was a 'meticulous plan'? Before and after this, various media outlets have detailed that Yunus was the main player behind this plan with the help of his domestic and foreign friends.

Misunderstanding the next question, Yunus said his government had not yet started reforms... "We have not started reforms yet." After taking on the role of Chief Advisor of the interim government, Yunus mentioned the start of reform work in his first speech to the nation on August 25 and thanked everyone involved for their support in this reform work. Dr. Yunus said, "In the first phase of our journey, I sincerely thank you for the support we are receiving in the work of state reform."

In an interview with Prothom Alo on October 8 last year, Yunus also spoke about reforms. He said, "Alongside election preparations, reforms will continue... Our task is clear. The task is to prepare for the election. We have to start this work. So, the steam of election preparation will continue. Along with that, the work of reform. Both will go together. This is not a separate thing. We will start one after finishing the other."

Later, in his speech to the nation on the 100th day of his government, Yunus said, "The train journey of the election has started and will not stop. But as we go, we have to complete many tasks. When this train will reach the final station depends on how quickly we can lay the tracks for it, and that will be through the consensus of political parties." Does this not mean that he started reforms alongside the election journey? He himself said, "Both will go together." So why did he deny it now? Political analysts believe that Yunus used the issue of reforms as the main excuse to hold on to and prolong his power, which is why he says different things at different times and does not tell the truth.

 

Then, the BBC journalist asked about the law and order and human rights situation in the country, "There is a lot of criticism about the deterioration of law and order. And if I look at the statistics of the police and human rights organizations, crime has increased significantly. So why can't you control this?" In response, Yunus started talking about his acceptance abroad, avoiding these issues. But BBC journalist Mir Sabbir again asked him about the country's situation - law and order. He mentioned, "The situation has deteriorated, many people say they are in various kinds of fear and panic because they see the crime happening on the streets. Why can't you control this? In six months, the number of robberies has increased by 50%. This is according to police statistics. I am saying this. Maybe the statistics vary, but we can see that it is happening. What is the problem in controlling this?"

Yunus denied all statistics, saying, "I am keeping track. The amount of crime has not increased at all. It is the same as before." Many people on social media are condemning and criticizing his statement. Some have even commented that Yunus's lies about the country's dire situation and people's suffering and anxiety are nothing but a cruel joke. Al Jazeera, which has broadcast many reports in support of Yunus, also reported on March 4, 2025, that under Yunus's interim government, crime in Bangladesh has become rampant in the past six months. Especially in the capital, incidents of mugging, assault, and rape have increased so much that the youth who risked their lives for change are now questioning: 'Why did they do all this?'

 

At this point, Mir Sabbir asked about mob violence, vandalism in many buildings across the country, including Dhanmondi 32, and the indifferent role of law enforcement agencies. He said, "Alongside crime, there is another issue being discussed a lot, which is called mob or group disorder. For example, there has been an issue of mob beating. If I talk about a few days ago, there was vandalism in many buildings across the country, including Dhanmondi 32. But despite these incidents continuing for a long time, the government or law enforcement agencies did not play a significant role. Why was there no significant role seen then? You later called for it to stop, but why did the law enforcement agencies not take effective action then?" Yunus could not provide any satisfactory answers to these questions. He also denied the doubts among politicians and the public about the neutrality of the interim government.

Overall, he labeled the Awami League as a "fugitive party" and accused them of making every effort to destabilize the country, for which he has not provided any evidence to date. Additionally, the general public believes that calling the Awami League a fugitive party is a lie.