Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday commented that the everlasting Bangladesh-India friendly relations are making Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) irritated.
“The Bangladesh-India friendly relations have been established on trust, which makes the BNP annoyed,” the road transport and bridges minister said at a press conference at his secretariat office in Dhaka, reports BSS.
Mentioning that BNP has failed to build good relations with neighbours, Quader said, “The BNP leaders are involved in various propaganda about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India aiming to hide their own failure.”
Responding to an allegation of BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina once again went to India to stay in power, he said: "Even if you (Fakhrul) believe that a foreign state or agency will put someone in power, we do not believe so”.
Quader said who will remain in power depends on the country’s people, as they (people) are the source and resort of the AL’s confidence.
Claiming the AL never lobbies to foreigners for power, he said the AL has friends abroad but it has no master.
“The Awami League works to enhance the fortune of the country and its people, while public welfare is the only goal of the party,” the AL general secretary said.
He said the people are happy with Sheikh Hasina's government and that is why they have repeatedly given the responsibility of running the country to the Awami League.
Noting that the AL has full trust in the people, he said since its inception, the AL has been with the country’s people and will remain beside them in the future too.
Responding to another statement of Fakhrul, Quader questioned: “Did you listen to the statement Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India?”
He said the Indian prime minister clearly said in his speech that India would stand by Bangladesh to build a stable, prosperous and progressive country as per the dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and India would stay beside those who believe in the spirit of the Liberation war in 1971.
“What did the BNP secretary general understand in this speech of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi?” the AL general secretary questioned, saying that Bangladesh’s friendship with India is of difficult times and “India is our tested friend in difficult times”.
After the killing Bangabandhu, those who maintained hostile relations with India for 21 years caused more harm to Bangladesh, Quader said, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have implemented historic decisions on important issues like border issues and exchange of enclaves by dismantling the wall of mistrust built between the two neighbours.