‘Cautionary tale for … ‘: What Vivek Ramaswamy said on violence against Hindus in Bangladesh – Times of India

Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, strongly denounced the targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from office.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Ramaswamy expressed his concern about the current situation, stating that “a quota conflict created to rectify the wrongs of rape and violence in 1971 is now leading to more rape and violence in 2024.”
Ramaswamy criticized the quota system implemented in Bangladesh after the country’s bloody war for independence in 1971, which aimed to allocate jobs in the civil service based on specific social groups, such as war veterans, rape victims, and underrepresented residents.
“The targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh is wrong, it’s concerning, and it’s a cautionary tale for victimhood-laced quota systems,” Ramaswamy said.
He argued that the system proved to be a disaster, leading to protests in 2018 that temporarily scrapped most of the quotas. However, the quota system was reinstated this year, triggering further protests that ultimately led to the toppling of the government and the prime minister’s exile.
The former presidential candidate also highlighted the concerning trend of radicals targeting Hindu minorities amidst the chaos. He emphasized that “bloodshed is the endpoint of grievance and victimhood” and suggested that the United States should learn from the lessons unfolding in Bangladesh.

“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. 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 said in a post on X.
“The quota system proved to be a disaster. In 2018, protests led Bangladesh to scrap most of the quotas, but the victim-patrons fought back…and the quota system was reinstated this year. That triggered more protests which toppled the government, and the prime minister fled. Once chaos begins, it can’t easily be reined in. Radicals are now targeting Hindu minorities. A quota conflict created to rectify the wrongs of rape and violence in 1971 is now leading to more rape and violence in 2024. Bloodshed is the endpoint of grievance and victimhood. It’s hard not to look at Bangladesh and wonder what lessons we would do well to learn right here at home,” he added.
Since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, Bangladesh has been experiencing a volatile political situation. According to reports from two Hindu organizations in the country, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, members of minority communities in Bangladesh have faced at least 205 incidents of attacks across 52 districts. As a result, thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus have been attempting to seek refuge in neighboring India to escape the ongoing violence.