Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has attacked the opposition — Bangladesh Nationalist Party — for running an anti-India campaign that boycotts Indian products.
“The BNP leaders are advocating for boycotting Indian products. My question is – how many Indian sarees do the boycott campaigners’ wives possess? Why don’t they take the sarees from their wives and burn them?” she said.
Opponents of the Awami League have repeatedly accused India of having helped her win January elections.
Hasina came to power after a landslide victory, which was boycotted by the BNP. She has repeatedly hailed India as a “great friend” in various instances.
“When they burn their wives’ Indian saris in front of their party office, only then will it be proven that they are truly committed to boycotting Indian products,” she said addressing Awami League leaders.
Addressing a discussion on Independence Day at the office of Awami League’s Tejgaon unit in Dhaka, the prime minister alleged that some BNP leaders and their wives buy saris from India and sell them in Bangladesh.
“When the BNP was in power, I had seen wives of their leaders flying to India, in groups, to buy Indian saris. They would sell the saris in Bangladesh,” alleged Hasina.
Hasina said that Bangladesh was importing items like garam masala, onion, garlic, and ginger from India and questioned whether the BNP leaders would continue to use them in their cooking.
“Spices, ginger, and whatever is coming… No Indian spices should be seen in any of their kitchens. They need these spices for their cooking. Therefore, they must clarify whether they should use these or not,” she noted.
After Maldives, Bangladesh is the second country where the opposition took up the ‘India Out’ campaign. Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Dr Hasan Mahmud criticised the political stance taken by the opposition and said that it does not benefit the company and gives a bad name to the country.
