The United States has played a hand in the ouster of the Awami League-led government in Bangladesh, said former prime minister Sheikh Hasina breaking her silence after fleeing to India following the 5 August uprising.
“I could have remained in power if I had left St Martin's and the Bay of Bengal to America,” she said in a message conveyed to Awami League supporters Saturday (10 August), reports The Print.
by accusing foreign powers like the US of playing a hand in her ouster. This comes days after the Indian government said it was analysing the possibility of a “foreign hand” behind the political crisis in Bangladesh.
According to Anandabazar, after fleeing to India, Hasina has engaged in multiple discussions with India's National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, as well as other Indian security and diplomatic officials.
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In these discussions, she has directly accused the United States of undue influence in Bangladesh’s internal affairs and of orchestrating her removal from office in an unjust manner.
Sources indicate that Hasina had intended to address the nation with these claims before her departure. She asserts that her expulsion was a price she had to pay for not ceding Saint Martin's Island, which she believes was demanded by the United States to strengthen its position in the Bay of Bengal. She has urged Bangladeshis to remain vigilant against extremist forces.
Following her fleeing to India, Hasina has been reported to have expressed that she was compelled to resign to prevent further bloodshed, referring to the potential "line of corpses" as a reason for her decision.
She voiced her opposition to transferring power over the dead bodies of students and the further destruction of the nation’s assets. Hasina believes that had she agreed to hand over sovereignty of Saint Martin’s Island, she might have retained her position.
In her statement, she also conveyed her distress over reports of violence against her party members and the destruction of property, expressing hope that the Awami League would recover from these setbacks and that she would one day return to her homeland.
