Hasina, Zia exchange barbs on ties with India
By IANSSaturday, January 2, 2010
DHAKA - Ahead of her summit-level talks in India, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Saturday ridiculed opposition leader Khaleda Zia’s threats of making her government’s path “thorny” should it fail to protect national interests while signing agreements with New Delhi.
“Those who had made the people’s lives thorny during their tenure are now out to make the government’s path thorny as well,” Hasina said at a function in the southern Chittagong port town.
This was “a barbed retort” from Hasina to Zia, who had Friday threatened to launch a mass movement, bdnews24.com web site said.
Taking on her arch political rival, Hasina said: “Those who had turned the people’s lives miserable during their own tenure in government between 2001 and 2006 are now out to make it more difficult for the ruling government.”
Hasina is scheduled to travel to India later this month when critical issues including construction of the Tipaimukh Dam in Manipur in India’s northeast and transit through Bangladesh are expected to come up for discussions, besides unresolved water-sharing and maritime boundary matters.
Referring to Islamist militancy, an issue that is likely to be discussed in New Delhi, Hasina urged the people to “beware of the opposition’s bid to turn this country into a militant state” and said that there would be “no tolerance for militancy or terrorism in Bangladesh”.
A two-term prime minister (1991-96 and 2001-06), Zia set tough yardsticks for Hasina on a number of issues pertaining to India and to the region during her Friday speech at a political rally in Dhaka.
“If you give consent to Tipaimukh dam and transit facilities, and if the maritime boundary dispute is not resolved, then we will go for a movement. Allowing India a corridor in the name of the Asian Highway will also not be acceptable,” she warned while addressing a rally organised by BNP’s associate student organisation, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).
Zia wrote to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year demanding that Delhi drop plans to construct the dam and blessed environmentalists and NGOs agitating on this issue.
“We will not accept any accord which will go against the country’s interest,” Zia was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.
Zia also said she and her followers will receive the prime minister with flowers at the airport on her return home from the visit to India if she protected the country’s interest while negotiating disputed issues with the neighbour, “but her path will be strewn with thorns if she fails to do so”.
“Cancel unequal treaties and sign accords safeguarding the country’s interests if you want to stay in power for the full term. And then we will work together to continue the democratic process,” Khaleda said, alluding to Hasina and her New Delhi talks likely on January 11.
