“There was no democracy in the country [during the BNP’s regime] … Khaleda Zia, Ershad and Ziaur Rahman sold the country, not the Awami League,” she said in her concluding remarks in Parliament on Wednesday (July 3)
She said BNP’s founder Zia, the country’s first military dictator, opened Bangladesh’s market for Indian products. “He allowed duty-free access to 40 goods. They (the BNP government) also signed an agreement with India to sell gas,” she said.
Hasina said those who came to power after Bangabandhu’s assassination did not utter a word to protect Bangladesh’s interests in its bilateral relationship with India.
Hasina said the current India-Bangladesh relationship is a global role model. “Khaleda claimed that India would occupy up to the Feni River if we implemented the [Chittagong Hill Tract] Peace Accord. Did that happen?” she asked.
She recalled the Khaleda-led government’s refusal to allow Myanmar to export gas to India over Bangladesh’s territory. “We’d have gotten gas from that line but the proposal was not approved. Now, China is getting that gas.”
Bangladesh and India signed 10 memoranda of understanding during Hasina’s recent Delhi visit. They include train transit and joint management of transboundary rivers.
BNP leaders accused the government of ignoring the country’s interests by agreeing to allow Indian trains to use Bangladesh’s rail network.
The MoU says India will also allow Bangladeshi trains to travel to Nepal and Bhutan and vice versa. International relations analysts say the deal will benefit Bangladesh greatly if implemented.
