New Delhi: Former Bangladesh prime minister Sk Hasina has accused Muhammad Yunus, chief advisor to the interim government in that country, of clinging on to power by unleashing extremists on the streets.
This comes at a time when reports are doing the rounds Yunus wishes to step down from his position as ‘it is not possible to work under so much pressure.’ The chief advisor is known to have been told by the Army and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to hold elections in the country by the end of 2025.
Yunus has sought time till June 2026, but the Army is keen to return to barracks by the end of this year. The chief advisor has received support from several students’ organisations and Islamist groups that have even threatened to march on the Army cantonment I’m Dhaka.
Bangladesh Army chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman has made it clear that he will not allow mobs to take over the streets of the country, as they did before Hasina’s ouster on August 5, 2024. Reports suggested that military tanks and armoured personnel carriers are now patrolling the streets in that country.
Hasina has also accused the Yunus government of “selling the nation to the United States.” She also condemned the recent ban on her Awami League party by the interim government. The election commission in Bangladesh has also deregistered the Awami League and it will not be able to contest elections.
Hasin, who is facing mass murder charges along with several of her former cabinet colleagues and Awami League has called this unconstitutional.
Hasina posted an audio clip on her party’s Facebook page from an undisclosed location. The Bangladeshi leader fled to India on August 5, 2024, but her whereabouts are unknown thereafter.
Hasina claimed that Yunus, who gained international recognition under her rule, has given the reins of Bangladesh to “terrorists”, against whom her government fought.
“My father did not agree to America’s demands for St. Martin’s Island. He had to give his life for that. And that was my destiny as I never thought of selling the country to stay in power,” she said.
She recalled how Bangladeshis took up arms and fought along with her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, for the independence of that country.
“It can’t be anyone’s intention to give up even an inch of that country’s soil to anyone. But what a misfortune it is today. Such a person came to power, a person who is absolutely loved by the people of the whole country, a person who is loved by the world, and what happened to that person today when he came to power?” she questioned.
“He has seized power with the help of terrorists, even those who are banned in various international arenas, against whom my government protected the people of Bangladesh. After only one terrorist attack, we took strict measures. Many were arrested. Now prisons are empty. They released everyone. Now Bangladesh is the reign of those militants,” Hasina said.
Calling Yunus a “militant leader”, she also attacked the government for banning the Awami League in Bangladesh, calling it both illegal and unconstitutional.
“The constitution of our great Bengali nation, we got it through a long struggle and the liberation war. Who gave this militant leader, who has illegally seized power, the right to touch the constitution? He does not have the mandate of the people and has no constitutional basis. That position (Chief Advisor) also has no basis, and it does not exist. So, how can he change the law without a parliament? This is illegal. They have banned the Awami League,” the former prime minister added.
