India Visit: Hasina bins Khaleda's allegations
Taking a swipe at the BNP chief for coming up with “false” and “confusing” information about her recent India tour, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said no one would be able to show Khaleda Zia anything if she kept her eyes closed.
"We've brought what we need from them [India] after maintaining friendly relations," she said while giving her introductory speech at the Awami League Central Working Committee meeting at her official residence, the Gono Bhaban.
The PM said Bangladesh would procure electricity, gas, LNG (Liquefied natural gas) and diesel from India.
Under the third line of credit, she said, India would provide Bangladesh with $4.5 billion at an interest rate of only one percent.
Earlier in the day, Khaleda Zia, at a press conference at her Gulshan office, described Hasina's India visit as a “failed one”, saying the PM returned home “empty handed”.
"The country's people think the tour is a failed one… she [Hasina] was given nothing but assurances," Khaleda said.
About the BNP chief's claim that she did not know how to raise a thing that she wants, Hasina said, "Are we beggars? We've attained what we need through friendly relations."
She mentioned that no political party was aware like her party Awami League about the country's independence and sovereignty.
Talking about the anti-dumping clause imposed by the Indian side, the PM said India imposed the cause newly on jute items. "I talked to the Indian prime minister about this and they assured us of looking into the matter."
About Khaleda's allegation that Hasina does politics based on religion, she said she performs religious rituals and follows religious rules. "I never do politics based on religion; rather the BNP and Khaleda Zia do politics based on religion.”
Hasina said the BNP was now talking about the Teesta and other bilateral issues. "You were in power. Why didn't you raise the Teesta, LBA, maritime boundary and other issues then?"
She said Khaleda, during her tour of India when in power forgot to raise the Ganges water-sharing issue with her Indian side. "She was so much busy licking India's foot that she forgot to settle down the issues of maritime boundary and others."
Regarding the USD 500 million MoU on defence cooperation, the PM said Bangladesh would procure what it needed from any country of the world. "There's nothing binding in the MoU. And there's nothing obscure here."
The PM also described various steps taken by her government for the welfare of Islam, and said it was her government that has given recognition of 'Dawra Hadith' as equivalent to Master's degree.
She hoped the students of Qawmi madrasas would get good jobs and employment opportunities as the government was giving due importance to 14 lakh students of 75,000 Qawmi madrsas across the country.