Hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas have fled violence in Myanmar's Rakhine since a military crackdown began on Aug 25.
"A lot of people are saying that the Rohingyas have emerged as a curse for Sheikh Hasina. I would say it’s a blessing," Organising Secretary Ahmed Hossain said at a discussion in Dhaka on Sunday.
International agencies say an estimated 536,000 people crossed the border into the southeastern Bangladesh district of Cox's Bazar in seven weeks.
According to the Inter Sector Coordination Group or ISCG of aid agencies, hosted by International Organisation for Migration or IOM, some 15,000 people entered Bangladesh between Oct 9 and 11.
The Rohingya crisis is a global issue, Hossain said.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been praised by the international community for sheltering the Rohingyas. She has been awarded the title Mother of Humanity.” All came as a blessing for Hasina, according to the Awami League leader.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, however, feels that tackling the crisis is the real challenge Bangladesh is now facing as it may destroy the economy.
Speaking to bdnews24.com on Saturday on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank annual meeting in Washington, Muhith described Myanmar as a 'bloody rogue country'.
"Myanmar will destroy Bangladesh's economy this year. This is the real crisis for Bangladesh. It's an attack on Bangladesh."
‘Mother of Barbarity’
Describing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia as 'Mother of Barbarity', Hossain said that there was 'no other option but to arrest' her to establish the rule of law.
"There's a rule of law in Bangladesh. You have committed crimes, cases have been filed and warrants are out," he said referring to the BNP chief.
Last week courts in Dhaka and Comilla issued arrest warrants against Khaleda in three cases over corruption and arson attacks.
The BNP described the court orders as a ploy by the government to stop her from coming back from the UK.
On Saturday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that their leader is returning home on Wednesday after spending around four months in London.
The former prime minister is expected to reach Dhaka on an Emirates Airlines flight at 5:30pm that day, he told bdnews24.com.
