Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said he never asked for the Indian government's support to keep Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in power, denying his controversial remark that sparked widespread criticism.
“I never said that Sheikh Hasina’s government must remain in power when I visited India. It’s an utter lie. I haven’t said anything regarding the election,” he told the media on Monday following the cabinet meeting, reports bdnews24.com.
“I spoke about the existing instability in the global context,” the minister said.
At a Janmashtami ceremony organised by the Hindu community in Chattogram on Thursday, Momen remarked: “I said in India that the Sheikh Hasina government must remain in power, and I requested the Indian government to do whatever is necessary to keep the Hasina government in power.”
A black-flag protest rally, led by Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council General Secretary Rana Dasgupta, was brought out against Momen in Chattogram on the same day as he allegedly said people from religious minorities are not tortured in Bangladesh.
Momen came under fire for his remarks and also was served with a legal notice by a Supreme Court lawyer. The notice blamed him for ‘defying the oath he took as a minister and the constitution’.
“I haven’t said anything like what I’m being blamed for,” Momen said on Monday.
Momen, who became an MP and a minister immediately after starting his political career, was also criticised recently when he compared the current economic and political situation in Bangladesh with ‘heaven’.
After receiving a warning from his own party, Momen said he would speak more carefully in future. However, the emergence of his remarks on India has thrown him into further hot water.
The Awami League does not condone the statement given by Momen, General Secretary Obaidul Quader said. He claimed it was Momen’s personal opinion.
