Ehsanul Haque Jasim :Ending all the speculations, the meeting between visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is going to take place today (Sunday) at 4:00pm at Hotel Sonargaon in the city. BNP wants to build good ties with the BJP-led government in neighbouring India leaving up its earlier stance. The party sees it (meeting) as a chance to clear its present stance. The meeting between the Indian Premier and Khaleda Zia will certainly help strengthen ties of BNP with the BJP-led government, party insiders said. Sources said, Khaleda Zia led delegation would place several issues, particularly the current political situation of Bangladesh, to Modi during the meeting. They will try to convince the Indian Premier that the Awami League-led government is ‘unelected’ and ‘undemocratic’. The BJP should stand beside BNP for the sake of democracy. They further said, the BNP will also try to draw the attention of the Indian Premier that the ruling Awami League had extended its support to Indian Congress during the last general elections, opposing Modi. BNP standing committee member Brig Gen (Retd) ASM Hannan Shah at a discussion on Saturday said that Modi is a pioneer of democracy and he would stand beside the democracy also in Bangladesh. Welcoming the Indian premier, he hoped that the Modi would advocate for establishing a democratic government in Bangladesh. Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, the youth body of the BNP, arranged the discussion at the National Press Club in the city to mark the 34th death anniversary of BNP’s founder and President Ziaur Rahman.Making his party’s stance clear on strengthening ties with India, Hannan Shah alleged that the previous Indian Congress-led government had maintained relations with a single party and supported Awami League in the ‘controversial and voter-less’ January-5 election of 2014, boycotted by the BNP.Mentioning that Indian Constitution allows its government to work for strengthening the democratic system and movement of other countries, he regretted that the Congress-led government had taken an opposite stance ignoring the hopes and aspirations of the people of Bangladesh. The party’s another standing committee member Lt Gen (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman yesterday said that Khaleda Zia reflects the hopes and aspirations of the large number of people of Bangladesh. Modi knows it and he will talk to Khaleda Zia about transition to democracy in the country, he hoped. Earlier, BNP’s current spokesman Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon has said that the BNP is not anti-India party, but its stand on issues like border killings and Teesta Water Sharing reflects the common public opinion.
