Sheikh Hasina wanted to address the nation before resigning from the post of Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Fled the country on 5 August Amid violent protests by students, Hasina in her speech, seen by India Today, accused the US of conspiring to bring about a regime change in Bangladesh and said she would have talked about it in her speech if she had the opportunity.
Sheikh Hasina, which is now in Indiahas revealed that she could have remained in power if she had given “St Martin and the Bay of Bengal” to the US.
The letter read, “If I had handed over St. Martin and the Bay of Bengal to the US, I could have remained in power. Please do not be used by fundamentalists.”
st martin islandLocated in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, it is the southernmost part of Bangladesh.
In his incomplete speech, the 76-year-old leader said he resigned so that he would not have to witness a “procession of corpses”.
Sheikh Hasina said in the anonymous letter that if she had stayed in the country, more people would have lost their lives.
The letter reads, “Perhaps if I were in the country today, more lives would have been lost, more property would have been destroyed. I removed myself, I came with your victory, you were my strength, you did not want me, I left on my own, resigned.”
Hasina gives clarification on Razakars’ remarks
In the letter, the former Bangladesh Prime Minister also explained her ‘Razakar’ remark and said that she never called the protesting students Razakars.
“I would like to reiterate to my young students that I never called you Razakars. My words have been twisted. I request you to watch the full video of that day. A group has taken advantage of your threat. I am sure one day you will understand this,” she said in the letter.
For those who don’t know, Sheikh Hasina had issued a statement in July in which she blamed the Razakars for the ongoing student protests amid growing anger against her.
When asked about the student protests during a press conference held at his residence on July 14, he replied: “If the grandchildren of freedom fighters don’t get (quota) benefits, who will? The grandchildren of Razakars?”
The term “Razakar” is considered derogatory in Bangladesh, as it is used to describe those who supported the Pakistan Army’s efforts to suppress the Bangladesh Liberation War and are also accused of committing heinous crimes.
The students got angry with this statement.
Furthermore, in her letter, Hasina said that she will return to her country soon.
Bangladesh has tense relations with the US
Relations between the US and Bangladesh had deteriorated so much during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure that Washington DC had said that the elections held in January, which returned the Awami League to power, were not free or fair.
Months before her resignation, Sheikh Hasina had claimed that “conspiracies” were being hatched to topple her government and alleged it was a “white man’s” plot to create a new “Christian country” by merging Bangladesh and Myanmar.
“If I had allowed any country to build an airbase in Bangladesh, I would have no problem,” he said in May.
Bangladesh protests
Violence broke out amid student protests on August 5, following which Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to neighbouring India, where she is currently residing. Minorities, especially Hindus, have faced attacks in the Islamic nation since the Sheikh Hasina government fell following a violent uprising.
More than 230 people have been killed since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as head of the country’s caretaker government.
The eminent economist was recommended for the post by student protesters who led protests against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which forced her to leave the country and led to the fall of her Awami League government.
Yunus will be the chief advisor in the interim government, which has been tasked with holding fresh elections in Bangladesh.