Online Desk  :   Voicing concern over Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday urged the neighbouring country to respect Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty. Talking to reporters after placing a wreath at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave, he also reminded India that the people of Bangladesh would not accept it well if it maintains contact exclusively with Sheikh Hasina and her party, adopting a one-sided approach. “What the Indian Defence Minister said after a meeting with military commanders was alarming. There are questions in the public’s mind about whether his comments are intended as provocation,” the BNP leader stated.

He questioned whether the Indian minister’s remarks were part of India’s efforts to comfort Sheikh Hasina and assist her in regaining her dominion. “If not, then why is the Defence Minister speaking in this manner?” Earlier on Friday, Rajnath Singh urged India’s armed forces to analyse the ongoing conflicts between Israel and Hamas, Russia and Ukraine, and the current situation in Bangladesh to prepare for the “unexpected”. Rizvi said the people of Bangladesh are now moving freely after driving out the “monster” Sheikh Hasina from the country.

“The fear of arrest or enforced disappearance has disappeared. People are now roaming freely and sleeping peacefully. Don’t you (India) appreciate this? Don’t the Indian policymakers wish for the return of democracy in Bangladesh, for people to live in peace, and to reside in a sovereign country?” he asked. The BNP leader also questioned whether India is unable to accept the reality that Sheikh Hasina has been ousted from Bangladesh. “If that is the case, it suggests that for you, the people of Bangladesh and their sovereignty are not truly secure. It appears that only one person, Sheikh Hasina, is deemed safe in your view. This is very unfortunate.” Despite having many unresolved issues, he said Bangladesh respects India’s sovereignty. “Just as we respect India’s sovereignty, India should also respect our freedom and sovereignty.”

Rizvi noted that the people of Bangladesh, on August 5, unitedly took to the streets, risking their lives to drive out Sheikh Hasina, just as they had previously driven out the British and ousted the Pakistanis in 1971. “Just as the people of Bangladesh can endure oppression for a long time, they also know how to unite and show resolve against foreign invaders. India must remember that Bangladesh is a nation of heroes,” he said. The BNP leader said Sheikh Hasina killed over a thousand people and fled to India when no other option was available, as people were heading towards her residence, Ganabhaban, defying the curfew.

“One of her ministers (Quader) had claimed that the daughter of Bangabandhu would not flee. Now, where is Sheikh Mujib’s daughter? How can those who have oppressed their own people, who have made Ayna Ghar and concentration camps to detain people for years, govern this country?” he questioned. Rizvi said that Hasina has been staying in India because no democratic country, including the UK and the USA, is willing to grant her asylum. Recalling that one of Sheikh Hasina’s Foreign Ministers once likened India-Bangladesh relations to that of a husband and wife, he said, “When Hasina fled to India, she was received there as if she were a bride.” Rizvi, along with members of the Nurses’ Association of Bangladesh, placed a wreath at the grave of former President Ziaur Rahman in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, marking the 21st anniversary of the organisation’s founding.