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- By Supratik Das
- Sun, 09 Nov 2025 08:09 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A senior aide to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has alleged that the Clinton family and US government agencies, including USAID, played a direct role in the 2024 uprising that led to Hasina’s dramatic ouster.
Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, who served as a minister in the Hasina Cabinet, made the explosive claims in an interview with Russia Today, stating that the unrest in Bangladesh was not spontaneous but a “carefully planned operation” backed by Western interests. “Certain actions of some NGOs, especially from the US, I mean USAID to name a few, or the International Republican Institute, were running campaigns against our government since 2018,” Chowdhury alleged.
USAID Money Used For Regime Change?
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which functions as the humanitarian arm of the US government, came under sharp criticism from Chowdhury, who questioned the disappearance of millions of dollars in funding meant for development projects.
He claimed that those funds were instead “diverted towards regime change activities” to destabilise Hasina’s administration and pave the way for an interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus. “The chaos was carefully planned with this money, and it turned into a big riot,” Chowdhury said, adding that clandestine NGOs had been channeling funds for years.
The former minister further alleged that the Clinton family shared long-standing ties with Yunus and had been “working behind the scenes” to engineer political change in Dhaka.
Hasina’s Ouster And The 2024 Uprising
In August 2024, Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh amid a wave of violent student-led protests over job quotas. Within hours, mobs stormed her residence, forcing her to seek refuge in India. She has since been living in New Delhi, where she continues to meet with political allies and diplomats.
At least 700 people were killed during the unrest, which Chowdhury described as “Western-funded chaos.” Reports later emerged of widespread attacks on Hindu minorities and targeted violence in several districts. The United States, however, dismissed all allegations as “laughable,” denying any involvement in Bangladesh’s internal affairs.
The political landscape in Bangladesh changed dramatically after Hasina’s exit. The Yunus-led interim regime has since taken steps to rebuild diplomatic ties with Pakistan, a move that has sparked concern among Hasina loyalists, given Pakistan’s role in the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh.
Chowdhury said the shift was a direct outcome of Western influence, arguing that “Washington’s allies” preferred a government in Dhaka that aligned with their strategic interests in South Asia. “There is a nexus between the Clinton family and the interim Yunus regime from a very long past. They were hell-bent on changing the government in Bangladesh,” he claimed.
While Washington continues to deny any hand in Hasina’s downfall, the charges have rekindled debate over foreign interference in South Asian politics. The US Embassy in Dhaka previously said the claims “defy logic and evidence.”