Although the Awami League appears to be uncomfortable with BJP’s win, some of its leaders are saying it will now be easier for India to decide on some of the outstanding issues with Bangladesh because the party has landslide majority.
Awami League, especially its chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has always been known for having close ties with Congress, who have done the worst in the recent polls since independence.
Some ruling party leaders said Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) result was highly unexpected; they thought BJP would win only a meagre majority at best and form a fragile coalition government like the one it formed in 1997.
Faruque Khan, international affairs secretary of the Awami League, said India would ensure a warm relation with Bangladesh for regional peace and the country has no alternative but to have the Awami League in power in Bangladesh.
He also snubbed out chances that the India-Bangladesh relationship would change under the new BJP government.
“Those, who want to see the destruction of India, are congratulating Modi. Narendra Modi knows very well who believes in democracy and who does not,” said Syed Ashraful Islam, LGRD minister and Awami League general secretary.
Long before AL, BNP congratulated Modi for the massive win.
Ashraf also said: “Some are saying that because Congress is not there the Awami League will not be there either. I want to tell them that they do not have on idea about democracy and foreign policy.”
He also slammed the “talk-show artists” saying they did not have profound idea about anything.
“The Congress that orchestrated India’s freedom, have lost in the election today. People gave their reply because party did not have any connection with them. This is the lesson of democracy. One must keep warm relations with the people,” Ashraf said, while addressing a programme in the capital yesterday organised to observe Sheikh Hasina’s homecoming day.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed hoped the outstanding issues such as the Teesta water sharing would be quickly solved under the Modi government.
Prime Minister’s International Affair’s Adviser Gowher Rizvi said because India’s foreign policy towards Bangladesh was made on the basis of a concensus, nothing will change. “There is no reason to think that we will allow anyone to put pressure on us. The Awami League never bows before anyone,” Rizvi said at a BBC Sanglap in the capital yesterday.
Source: Dhaka Tribune