Sheikh Hasina will come back to Bangladesh as soon as the interim government decides to hold an election, said the former prime minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy in an interview with Times of India yesterday.

"For the time being, she is in India. She will go back to Bangladesh the moment the interim government decides to hold an election. I am thankful to PM Narendra Modi for saving my mother's life at such short notice."

Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled Bangladesh on August 5, when a student-led protest culminated in a mass uprising against her Awami League government.

More than 400 people were killed in the preceding three weeks, a majority of them in police firing and firing by Awami League activists.

Stating that the Awami League leaders were still allegedly under attack in Bangladesh, Joy said, "I will do whatever it takes to save the party and its workers. If there is a need for me to join politics, I will not refrain from that. My mother would have retired from politics after the current term. I never had any political ambition and was settled in the US.

"But the developments in Bangladesh in the past few days show that there is a leadership vacuum. I had to get active for the sake of the party and I am at the forefront now."

While more than 140 people were killed in the mob violence and rioting on August 5 following Hasina's fleeing, the violence has reduced markedly since then as the students have been on the streets in the absence of law enforcement. The security forces have also become active amid reports of looting at night.

There have also been attacks on members of the Hindu community, especially outside Dhaka.

Joy's statements came after Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's acting chairman, is returning to Dhaka following his exile from Bangladesh.

Speaking right after the new interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh, Joy said, "I am sure the Awami League will take part in the election and we might even win. We have the largest supporter base in Bangladesh."

He also claimed that his mother (Hasina) has no plans for seeking asylum in any country.

Joy stressed there was a need for "introspection".

"There definitely were 'mistakes'. When you run a country, a lot of decisions are made every day. Awami League believes in introspection and we were ready for that. But we did not get a chance to do that this time. We never realised the situation would escalate so fast," Joy said.

He also said an alliance of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami will not be able to save the minorities. "If the Awami League is not in power, the eastern border of India will not be secure. If there is an alliance of BNP and Jamaat, that may not be good for India as Jamaat will not refrain from militancy," Joy said, requesting India to mount pressure on Bangladesh to hold elections soon.

The Awami League government, during its 15 years in power, and Hasina herself was sharply critical of any political opponent or civil society member calling for foreign pressure in domestic policies.

Joy's comments come after he had earlier in the week said that his family were "done with politics".