BJP leaders deny Shah-Khaleda telephone talks

A shroud of mist hangs over a ‘telephone conversation’ between India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah and BNP chief Khaleda Zia.

Several BJP leaders have rejected the reports even as the BNP insists the telephone talk, indeed, had taken place.

Khaleda's Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan on Thursday told the media that the BJP and BNP chiefs had spoken over phone the night before.

The former prime minister has been at her Gulshan office since Jan 3 night when police cordoned it off purportedly to prevent her from leading anti-government agitations.

She reportedly fell sick two days later when police used pepper spray on her supporters inside the office.

Khan said the BJP president wished the BNP chairperson a swift recovery.

Amid a flutter in India’s diplomatic circle over the reported telephonic conversation, a spokesperson for BJP's West Bengal unit on Friday denied any such tête-à-tête taking place.

“Why should Amit Shah call Khaleda Zia? After all what is happening in Bangladesh is an internal matter of that country. Moreover, there is a friendly government in power in Dhaka,” Jashodip Bhaumik told bdnews24.com.

Several Bangladeshi media outlets, too, reported that no such conversation had taken place.

However, bdnews24.com Chief Political Correspondent Sumon Mahmud said the BNP in a media statement signed by Maruf Kamal Khan on Friday night rubbished those reports.

It said such calls between heads of two important political parties of neighbouring countries "were expected and normal".

"The information we gave to the media yesterday (Thursday) is absolutely correct," Khan insisted.

But BJP central leader Balbir Punj was not as categorical as Bhaumik in refuting the report.

“I have no knowledge about the telephonic talks between them (Shah and Khaleda),” he said.

Another senior BJP leader and MP Ramen Deka, too, said it was unlikely that Amit Shah would call the BNP chairperson at a time when India’s relation with present dispensation in Dhaka was very cordial.

Khaleda's press secretary maintained that Shah had enquired about the BNP chief's health.

"There's no option to make baseless claims about it," he said.

Khan said attempts to create confusion without confirming the matter from either Shah or his aides were unwelcome.

However, a senior BJP leader, wishing anonymity, said if the ruling party or the government wanted to convey any message to Khaleda they would have done so through diplomatic channel.

“Why would our president bypass the external affairs ministry to establish direct channel of communication with the BNP leader,” he argued, denying any such telephonic conversations.