BNP on Sunday said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen’s plea to India to keep the Awami League government in power is against the interests and dignity of an independent and sovereign country.

Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the foreign minister just created a ground for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to seek India’s favour during her visit to New Delhi next month to prop up her government again without voting.

He also said the government has been indulging in a plot against the country’s independence and sovereignty.

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“Bangladesh is an independent sovereign state, not an organ of any other state. It depends on the desire of people whether or not the government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh remains in power,” the BNP leader said.

Earlier at a Janmashtami programme in Chattogram on Thursday, FM Momen reportedly said that he urged the Indian government to back Hasina so she can stay in power.

Rizvi said the foreign minister’s remark has exposed the government’s knee-jerk foreign policy.

In the wake of the ministers’ different comments on his statement, the BNP leader said the foreign minister reaffirmed that he did not say anything wrong and he took the responsibility for what he said.

“Sheikh Hasina has entrusted him (Momen) with the responsibility for lobbying in this regard. Sheikh Hasina is going to India in September to curry its favour to remain in power. Abdul Momen has created the ground for it,” he observed.

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Slamming the ruling party leaders for their comments that Momen is no one of the Awami League, Rizvi said the foreign minister became the MP from Sylhet city seat with the party ticket as he is the No-1 member of the Awami League’s Sylhet city unit. “He (Momen) did not give his statement personally as he did it using the position of the foreign minister.”

He said the foreign minister's statement has made it clear to the people that the current government is staying in power with the help of foreign governments. “The foreign minister has also made it clear that they want to remain in power without voting in the days to come. The government has become an enemy of the people because it has been in power by force at gunpoint for 13 years with the help of different countries.”