NEW DELHI: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a key opponent of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, has expressed frustration over India’s decision to host the ousted prime minister after she fled Dhaka on Monday.
Gayeshwar Roy, a senior BNP leader and former minister, told The Times of India that while the BNP supports cooperation between Bangladesh and India, “if you help our enemy then it becomes difficult for that cooperation to be honoured”.
He expressed concerns that India may have supported Sheikh Hasina’s return to power. “Being born in India is Sheikh Hasina’s liability… Indian and Bangladesh people don’t have issues with each other. But should India promote one party, not the entire country?” said Gayeshwar Roy.
Meanwhile, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has announced his willingness to enter the political arena, marking a significant shift from his previous stance of staying out of politics.
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“I will do whatever it takes to save the party and its workers. If there is a need for me to join politics, I will not refrain from that,” Joy was quoted as saying by Times of India.
“My mother would have retired from politics after the current term. I never had any political ambition and was settled in the US. But the developments in Bangladesh in the past few days show that there is a leadership vacuum. I had to get active for the sake of the party and I am at the forefront now,” he added.
Expressing confidence in the Awami League’s prospects, Joy noted that his mother’s party has the largest support base in Bangladesh and is likely to participate in and potentially win the upcoming election.
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Expressing his gratitude to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing his mother with refuge, he said, “For the time being, she is in India. She will go back to Bangladesh the moment the interim govt decides to hold an election in the country. I am thankful to PM Narendra Modi for saving my mother’s life at such short notice.”
Reflecting on recent events, Joy acknowledged, “There definitely were mistakes. When you run a country, a lot of decisions are made every day. Awami League believes in introspection and we were ready for that. But we did not get a chance to do that this time. We never realised the situation would escalate so fast even after accepting their demands.”
Joy’s comments came on the heels of Khaleda Zia’s release from house arrest and the anticipated return of her son, Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the BNP, to Dhaka. On August 8, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed control in Bangladesh, tasked with overseeing the country’s affairs until the next elections.