Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused the United States, alleging their involvement in her removal from power.
“I resigned to avoid witnessing further violence. They aimed to seize power over the dead bodies of students, but I prevented that by resigning,” Hasina said, The Economic Times reported.
Bangladesh is experiencing political upheaval right now. On August 5, Hasina resigned in the face of growing student protests calling for the elimination of the divisive government job quota system.
Sheikh Hasina took on a military aircraft last week to escape Dhaka, fearing for her life in the midst of massive unrest. She is in a safe place in India right now.
A transitional administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been put in place to supervise the process and get ready for early elections.
Hasina clarified that there would have been more casualties and destruction if she had stayed in the nation.
“I became your leader because you chose me; you were my strength,” she added.
Over 230 people have died as a result of the violence that followed Hasina's departure, increasing the total number of dead since the protests started in mid-July to 560.
"My words were distorted to incite you. Watch the full video of that day to understand how conspirators have exploited your innocence to destabilise the nation,” the Awami League leader said.
When referring to those who were thought to have worked with the Pakistani military during the 1971 Liberation War, the name "Razakars" is frequently used.
Sheikh Hasina also claimed that she could have remained in power “if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal”.
"I beseech to the people of my land, ‘Please do not be manipulated by radicals’,” she said.
Hasina had said in May that there was a plot to divide Bangladesh and Myanmar into sections in order to establish a Christian state akin to East Timor. She stated, without identifying the nation in question, that she was promised an easy reelection provided she let a foreign government to build an airbase in Bangladesh.
