Ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina says in an interview with Alpyu Singh that free and fair elections in her country are impossible under Muhammad Yunus’ interim govt and that India deserves a reliable neighbour. Excerpts:Tarique Rahman has assumed office as Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman recently. How do you look at his return? The people of Bangladesh should remember that Tarique Rahman has lived in exile in London for years, far removed from the daily realities faced by ordinary citizens. He fled the country because of his role in abetting his late mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, in the embezzlement of public funds. This is not a matter of political disagreement, but of accountability and integrity.BNP leadership has consistently aligned itself with extremist elements when it suits its short-term interests, even at the cost of national stability… it has chosen exclusion, intimidation, and opportunism. Bangladesh deserves leadership that governs from within the country, respects pluralism, and is accountable to the people, not figures who seek power through alliances with radical forces while remaining safely abroad.A lot of people are questioning whether an election could actually take place in Feb? If so, how will Awami League take part, considering that there is a ban on your party?The question is not whether elections will take place but whether these will be elections in any meaningful or legitimate sense… At present, Bangladesh is ruled by an unelected regime that has appointed itself the authority to rewrite our country’s constitution and amend our legislation to ban the nation’s most widely supported party from participating in elections.Over half the voters in Bangladesh have confidence in Awami League and would vote for us if Awami League were allowed to participate. It is precisely this fear that has led them to ban us.As atrocities against minorities continue in Bangladesh, India’s external affairs ministry reacted by saying there is a disturbing pattern in all this. What do you think is reason behind these recurring attacks?A govt’s most basic duty is to protect its citizens. The interim govt has not only failed in this responsibility, it has actively emboldened this repression. Under Yunus, extremist groups that my govt worked hard to contain have been empowered and elevated to positions of authority. These criminals, many of whom belong to known terrorist orgs, have been allowed to spread a hardline ideology that threatens to remove any trace of diversity from our country and carry out deplorable acts of violence against peaceful Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Ahmadi Muslims with total impunity. The current climate is the direct result of the appeasement of fundamentalist forces.How can India help in restoring peace in Bangladesh?India has rightly condemned the human rights abuses and political repression that have become all too common under the Yunus regime. They are watching in dismay right now as Bangladesh descends into lawlessness, as minority groups face daily acts of violence, as political imprisonments become the norm, and as harmful, hostile rhetoric emanates from Dhaka. India understands that prosperity of our two nations is tightly linked.What do you think is the future of India-Bangladesh bilateral relations?n India is Bangladesh’s closest friend and longest-standing ally, a relationship built through geography, history and cooperation. Yunus has done considerable damage to this relationship through his empowerment of extremist groups who freely target religious minorities with impunity and his willingness to allow mobs to besiege Indian diplomatic premises and threaten representatives. This is recklessness by an administration with neither the experience nor the mandate to dictate Bangladesh’s foreign policy.India deserves a reliable partner in Bangladesh, one that can maintain stability and honour its commitments. We must return to being the friend our neighbours knew they could trust.
