Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main rival of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, is clearly unhappy with India hosting the ousted Prime Minister after she fled Dhaka and arrived here on Monday.
Veteran BNP functionary Gayeshwar Roy, who was a minister in the BNP-led govt in 1991, and is a member of the party’s standing committee, its highest decision-making forum, told TOI from Dhaka, “BNP believes Bangladesh and India must have mutual cooperation..., reports Times of India.
Indian govt will have to understand and behave in a manner which follows that spirit. But if you help our enemy then it becomes difficult for that mutual cooperation to be honoured. Our former foreign minister (in the Hasina govt) said here before the last elections that India will help Sheikh Hasina’s return to office. Sheikh Hasina’s liability is being borne by India... Indian and Bangladesh people don’t have issues with each other. But should India promote one party and not the entire country?” Roy was replying to questions that BNP is perceived to have anti-India bias.
Asked about reports of alleged attacks on Hindus and the perception about BNP being anti-minority, Roy said, “A perception has been created that BNP is anti-Hindu. BNP is made up of people from different communities in Bangladesh and stands for all religions. I have been a minister in this party’s regime and am ranked high enough in the BNP’s highest decision-making forum. BNP is a nationalist party but we believe in the individual rights of all communities.”
“When I was a minister in 1991, I started the system of donations for Durga Pujas and no govt after that has stopped the policy, it is still on. It is our party’s govt that did it,” he added. On the concern about terrorist elements targeting India using Bangladesh, Roy said, “It is a perception again. Not the truth. India has helped in getting our Independence... we cannot be against India.”
“We are a smaller country, we need India for many things including medical facilities, many other goods for our people, but the revenue that India earns from Bangladeshis on these accounts are also not a small amount,” he said.
Asked about BNP’s equation with Jamaat-e-Islami, Roy made it clear “it’s not an ideological relationship. It is tactical support, which has to do with electoral politics.”
“Awami League was in an official alliance with the Jamaat. From 2018 to 2024 we (BNP) had no relations with the Jamaat. There was Left, there was right, but there was no Jamaat with us. Sheikh Hasina took the Jamaat on board. Later she created Hefazat-e-Islam group to counter Jamaat. Today the same Hefazat is on the streets against Awami League. Jamaat believes in elections,” he said.
On the new interim govt formation process, Roy said “since the students wanted Dr Mohammad Yunus as the leader and a non-political govt as an interim arrangement, BNP did not suggest any names from the party”.
