Newsman: The ousted Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has said, She could have stay in power if she had compromise the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to dominate the Bay of Bengal.
In a message quoted by the Economic Times, she stated, “I resigned so that I did not have to witness the bloodshed. They wanted to seize power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it. I stepped down from the premiership. I could have stayed in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to dominate the Bay of Bengal.
I urge the people of my country, ‘Please do not be manipulated by radicals'” Sheikh Hasina said. She is currently residing in India.
The times of India reported that Sheikh Hasina Previously had also accused the US of attempting to orchestrate a regime change in Bangladesh during a parliamentary session.
In June last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina alleged that the US had intended to acquire St Martin’s Island to build a military base in exchange for BNP’s electoral victory. She claimed that the BNP, if brought to power, would sell the island to the US, a step she vowed never to allow while in office.
Her allegations were strongly refuted by US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, who stated that the claims were “not accurate” and affirmed that “no discussions” about taking over the island had occurred with the Bangladeshi government.
Recently, the island gained attention due to allegations that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia (who was recently freed), had planned to sell it to the United States for the construction of a military base in exchange for electoral support. However, the US State Department dismissed these claims, affirming its commitment to respecting Bangladesh’s sovereignty and promoting democracy through free and fair elections.
The son of Shekh Hasina Sajeeb Wazed Joy, suggested that the recent protests in Bangladesh were likely instigated by a foreign intelligence agency, although he refrained from explicitly naming the US according to The times of India. Joy stated, “I now firmly believe this was instigated by a small group, most likely by a foreign intelligence agency. I strongly suspect the ISI, according to the report.”
‘There was no reason for the protests to continue because the quotas were not mandated by our government and were restored by a court ruling,’ Joy said adding “Our government had lifted the quotas in 2018 or so when the first quota protests happened.”
The United States government has consistently criticized Dhaka’s human rights record and electoral processes.
