Govt tried to thwart my meeting with Modiji: Khaleda

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has alleged that the ruling Awami League-led government tried to thwart her meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dhaka.

“The government tried whatever they could do to stop the meeting,” Khaleda said in an interview given to The Sunday Guardian.

Ahead of Narendra Modi’s maiden visit in Bangladesh, speculations ran wild on whether he will meet Khaleda Zia, chief of BNP that proclaimed itself as not an anti-India party.

“Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali publicly ruled out "any possibility" of my meeting PM Narendra Modi during his stay in Bangladesh. But then New Delhi put out the facts straight, Khaleda said. “How can you justify this?”

“I am thankful to the Indian authorities as this government in Bangladesh tried whatever they could to see to it that the meeting did not happen,” she added in the interview. “They didn’t want me to have any discussion with Modiji.”

Sayrul Kabir Khan, a staff of BNP chairperson’s press wing, confirmed The Daily Star of her interview with The Sunday Guardian.

Regarding her party’s policies on India, Khaleda said: “Why should I be anti-India? See this is what I was trying to tell you. There is a concerted propaganda by the ruling government to try and paint me as anti-India and anti-Hindu.”

“India and Bangladesh have had very strong bonding and we recognise full well the contribution India made for our liberation. Prime Minister Modi's visit is aimed at strengthening India-Bangla ties further.”

She reiterated that her meeting with Modi was “satisfactory” without mentioning any specifics. “It was a one-on-one meeting, you see. I cannot really spell out what all we talked about, but it was definitely a very satisfactory meeting.”

Khaleda insisted that the international community look into the state of affairs in Bangladesh.

Regarding her ties with Jamaat-e-Islami, Khaleda Zia said nothing relating to resolving ties with the anti-liberation force of 1971 yet. “Jamaat is our alliance partner and that's it. In the alliance they have to listen to the BNP, she said.

She alleged that she was forced to “cancel her meeting” with Pranab Mukherjee back in 2013 because of “life threatening situation posed” by her opponents. “They would have framed Jamaat.”