Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has called the targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh“wrong” and “concerning” in a social media post on Aug. 14.
“Here's what happened: 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,” the Indian American businessman said in a post on X.
“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,” he added.
The targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh is wrong, it's concerning, and it's a cautionary tale for victimhood-laced quota systems. Here's what happened: Bangladesh fought a bloody war for its independence in 1971. Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi civilians were…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 14, 2024
Ramaswamy criticized the quota system and called it a disaster. He noted that although Bangladesh scrapped most of the quotas in 2018, following protests, the reinstatement of the system this year sparked further unrest, leading to the overthrow of the government and the fleeing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. According to Ramaswamy, once chaos begins, it is difficult to control.
He highlighted that radicals are now targeting Hindu minorities, and a quota conflict originally intended to address historical injustices from 1971 has instead led to increased violence and rape in 2024. Ramaswamy suggested that the situation in Bangladesh offers important lessons for addressing similar issues at home.
The Hindu American Foundation, a grassroots advocacy organization, welcomed Ramaswamy’s input on the matter stating, “As one of the most prominent Hindu Americans in the political sphere today, we are pleased @VivekGRamaswamy is condemning targeted violence against #BangladeshiHindus.”
“It is shameful that besides isolated stories in the media, anti-Hindu violence has been ignored in the service of a narrative celebrating the coup,” it added in a social media post.
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