On Sunday (7th January), Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in a media interaction that India is a trusted friend of Bangladesh. She said that Bangladesh is very lucky to have such a neighbouring country like India. She made this statement while going to cast her vote as Bangladesh is undergoing the general elections on Sunday. Sheikh Hasina expects a fourth straight term and the fifth overall for her Awami League-led alliance.
While speaking to ANI, Sheikh Hasina said, “You (India) are most welcome. We are very lucky that India is our trusted friend. During our liberation war, they supported us. After 1975, when we lost our whole family, they gave us shelter. So our best wishes to the people of India.”
#WATCH | Dhaka: In her message to India, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says, ''You are most welcome. We are very lucky…India is our trusted friend. During our liberation war, they supported us…After 1975, when we lost our whole family…they gave us shelter. So our… pic.twitter.com/3Z0NC5BVeD
— ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2024
The general election in Bangladesh is set against a backdrop of escalating pre-election violence and concerns about further unrest. The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), along with other allied parties, has declared a boycott of the elections. In a move to intensify their protest, the BNP has called for a nationwide strike lasting two days, starting on Saturday.
The opposition is shunning the polls and urging the public not to participate, citing doubts about the integrity of the electoral process. They accuse the incumbent Awami League of placing “dummy” independent candidates in the elections to create an illusion of legitimacy, an allegation that the ruling party refutes.
Tensions in Bangladesh have been rising since October 2023, following a large-scale anti-government demonstration that demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of a caretaker government to supervise the elections. However, Hasina’s government has rejected these demands, stating that there is no constitutional basis for implementing a caretaker government.
