Complaining to foreigners won't help, Hasina says about Khaleda-Xi meeting

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said 'whining to foreigners' will do the BNP no good in a slanted reference to Khaleda Zia’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Speaking at a meeting of the Awami League’s National Committee on Saturday, Hasina said, “(Khaleda) always complains to foreign guests.”

“I doubt whether she (Khaleda) knows the definition of democracy and whether she can spell democracy,” she remarked in a scathing attack on her arch political rival.

On Friday afternoon, Khaleda met Xi, the first Chinese head of state to visit Dhaka in three decades.

The BNP thinks Xi wanted to give a message to the people of Bangladesh by meeting their chairperson and "not giving importance" to the Opposition, which is the Jatiya Party.

The BNP is out of Parliament after the boycott of 10th parliamentary election.

Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told a discussion on Saturday afternoon, “The Chinese president has given a clear message to the people of this country that this Parliament, which is not elected, does not have any real Opposition or representatives of the people.

“So he did not give any importance to the opposition party. To whom he attached importance? Khaleda Zia, the leader of the 160 million people,” Hossain said.

Hinting at his remarks, Hasina in the evening said, “Which democratic way was followed during their (BNP) formation? Which democracy are they talking about?

“There is nothing sadder than hearing about democracy from those who had grabbed power, took away the people’s voting right, protected and rewarded the war criminals and the Bangabandhu’s killers.”

Recalling how the BNP government had to quit 15 days after coming to power through the seventh parliamentary polls in 1996, the Awami League president wondered why they would have to take teachings from those who were forced to leave power facing the people’s wrath.

“No political party, except Freedom Party, the organisation of Bangabandhu’s killers, had taken part in that election.”

The BNP was formed by Ziaur Rahman who had also come to power illegally and through a coup, Hasina said.

The prime minister rejected the BNP’s allegation that her ruling party was robbing the people of their democratic rights.

She said those who supported the war criminals, looted the people of the country and played with their fate will surely be punished. “That’s why no benefit can be derived from crying with foreigners.”

Alluding to the BNP, she said, “The people will always reject those who loot orphans’ money, launders money and burn people to death.”