BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday alleged that India has taken a position against the people of Bangladesh by supporting Sheikh Hasina’s ‘authoritarian’ government.
"The Indian government and their politicians should understand why the people of Bangladesh have burst into anger against them. By supporting an authoritarian government, they (India) have taken a stance against the people of Bangladesh,” he said.
Speaking at a rally after a sudden procession in the capital’s Banani area, the BNP leader also said India, as a close neighbour, should support what the people of Bangladesh want.
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Rizvi made the remarks as an Indian media outlet published a report on the growing anti-Indian sentiments in Bangladesh.
The BNP senior joint secretary general also criticized India for border killing and various unresolved bilateral issues.
"The bloodiest border in the world is now the Bangladesh-India border. The BSF members are shooting and killing Bangladeshis there almost every day,” he observed.
Rizvi said India is not giving Bangladesh any opportunity to do business in their country even though they are doing unilateral trade with Bangladesh. “They are taking thousands of crores of remittances from Bangladesh in various ways.”
He also said the current Bangladesh government has got nothing from India though it has generously given everything the neighboring country needs.
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"The people of Bangladesh liberated the country through a war by sacrificing blood. The people of this country did not wage the Liberation War and sacrifice their blood to become slaves of anyone."
Rizvi along with some BNP leaders and workers brought out a procession around 7am at Kamal Ataturk Avenue in Banani in support of the 48-hour blockade enforced by the opposition parties from 6am today (Sunday).
The procession ended through a brief rally near the Banani Field amid the opposition’s various anti-government slogans.