Did not request India to ensure PM Hasina stays in power: Momen
"I am not even close to the allegations brought against me," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said he did not ask India to ensure Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government stays in power.
"I did not say such things when I went to India. This is a blatant lie. I did not talk about the election. I am not even near such allegations," he told media following a cabinet meeting Monday (22 August) at the Secretariat.
Claiming that he did not speak about the elections in India, Momen said he discussed instability in the global context.
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Earlier on 18 August, while speaking as the chief guest at a Janmashtami programme in JM Sen Hall in Chattrogram, the foreign minister said he told the Indian government that Sheikh Hasina must be sustained.
"When I went to New Delhi, I told the Indian government that Sheikh Hasina must be sustained. Bangladesh will continue to march towards development and will truly become a country free of communalism under her leadership," he said.
His statement created a stir in the political arena, drawing flak from ruling Awami League and other parties.
In this situation, a legal notice has been sent to the minister regarding his speech on Sunday (August 21). He has been asked to resign within 48 hours of receiving the notice. Otherwise, a writ will be filed in the High Court seeking legal remedies.
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader said that it could be his personal opinion regarding the foreign minister's statement.
"This is not the statement of our government, nor of the party. Awami League does not make such requests. No one has been given such responsibility by the Sheikh Hasina government," he said.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister did not withdraw his statement but said that his statement came to the media in a different way.
Momen said: "I had a talk with the Chief Minister of Tripura a few days ago. He told me, because of your government's zero tolerance policy against terrorism, we have stopped terrorism here. As a result, foreign investment is coming."
"I said during the meeting in Delhi, one of your chief ministers told me these things. Then I said, both countries need stability for development and for that stability Sheikh Hasina should be in power."
On 12 August in Sylhet, the foreign minister said that the people of Bangladesh are in heaven compared to other countries in the global recession.
