India maintaining wait-and-watch strategy, army on alert: S Jaishankar

India is maintaining a wait-and-watch strategy on the ongoing developments in Bangladesh while keeping its Army on the alert, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at an all-party meeting on Tuesday, reports The Indian Express, an Indian media outlet.

The Indian external affairs minister clarified the stance of the country a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country after hundreds were killed in a crackdown on agitations that began with protests against job quotas, The Indian Express report added.

Jaishankar on Tuesday also spoke on the possible impact the developments could have on India and spoke about what strategy would be if there was interference from outside, the Indian media outlet reported quoting sources.

When Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, asked if the government had any information about the role of any outside forces in the Bangladesh developments, Jaishankar said the government only has “information about a Pakistan diplomat’s changed DP that shows his support to the uprising”, sources said.

Rahul Gandhi also asked Jaishankar if the Indian government had any idea about Sheikh Hasina’s plans. The Indian foreign minister informed the leaders that India had spoken to her about her future course of action but that could not be disclosed at the moment.

Apart from Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leader K C Venugopal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s T R Baalu, Janata Dal (United)’s Lallan Singh, Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav, Trinamool Congress’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Misa Bharti, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant, Biju Janata Dal’s Sasmit Patra, Nationalist Congress Party (SP)’s Supriya Sule and Telugu Desam Party’s Ram Mohan Naidu were the other Opposition leaders who attended the meeting.

The Opposition leaders assured that they would stand with the government, The Indian Express report added.

“Briefed an All-Party meeting in Parliament today about the ongoing developments in Bangladesh. Appreciate the unanimous support and understanding that was extended,” Jaishankar said in a post on X after the meeting.

Jaishankar also informed the leaders that New Delhi was in touch with the Bangladesh Army and had alerted the Indian Army.

Responding to a question of Rahul Gandhi, the foreign minister added that India was prepared to take all the necessary steps if the situation further deteriorated, the report added.