Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina made Bangladesh's sovereignty and independence hostage to India for the sole purpose of holding onto her power, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged today (13 November).
"Now, the public's only demand is for the interim government to disclose all deals [between Bangladesh and India] she made between 2009 and 5 August 2024. We can see the damages she has done to this country," Rizvi said while addressing a free eye care medical camp for low-wage earners and those who lost their eyes during the July-August mass uprising in the capital's Banani.
Criticising Bangladesh's power deal with India's Adani Power, Rizvi said, "An Indian company named Adani signed a power deal with her [Hasina]. It is a very unfair contract. [Adani's] electricity production cost per unit is less than the electricity production cost in Bangladesh. But we have to pay Adani Tk12 per unit. No country anywhere in the world buys electricity at such high prices."
Rizvi continued, "She made a deal with Adani with an ulterior motive- if she ever needed to escape, Adani would finance her. Sheikh Hasina did not make any deal with Adani for the welfare of the people. Otherwise, why would Adani issue threats?"
Further criticising the ousted premier, Rizvi said, "Hasina wasn't a patriot, her love was for India. That was her only love. Her foreign minister described the relationship between India and Bangladesh as a relationship between husband and wife. The people knew, who loved whom."
The BNP leader also took a jibe at the interim government for failing to curb commodity price hikes and break off market syndication, and promoting pro-Awami League health officials.
"We have said Awami League's syndicates still control the market. Did you [interim govt] arrest any one of them?
"The prices of onion, sugar, potatoes, soybean oil and flour still have not come down, because these commodities need to be imported. You have reduced the tariffs, but did the prices drop? No, because you could not arrest [those involved with syndication]," Rizvi said.
He also alleged that the interim government is promoting pro-AL doctors at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
"All the democratic parties, students and organisations have supported you [interim govt], but we see those who have done wrong for a long time still working in the health sector. This is a technical sector, where doctors are supposed to be appointed on the basis of their qualifications. But AL did not consider that. If any doctor or their family members supported BNP, they were denied promotions or transfer."
