In response to a question on whether Awami League will be given a chance to contest in the next elections, Dr. Muhammad Yunus said, "It has already been announced. We didn't want to decide on political party. BNP did it, said that all political parties will definitely contest the elections. So they have already given their verdict. We will not ignore the opinion of a major party in the country."
Dr. Muhammad Yunus said this in an interview given to Indian media 'The Hindu'. The interview given at Jamuna, the residence of the chief adviser in Dhaka, was published in the online edition of The Hindu on Monday. Dr. Yunus also said, I am not a political person to choose one party or another. I am helping politicians to realize their aspirations.
The Hindu journalist wanted to know how the incident of August 5 is affecting Bangladesh-India relations? Has it come as a setback? In response, Dr. Yunus said, why would this happen? Bangladesh has been liberated from a regime where people have suffered, many have been killed, many have been disappeared, many institutions have been destroyed. India should celebrate this liberation of Bangladesh as a friendly country. Like many countries have done, India should also join our youth and celebrate together.
The journalist said, you said, Sheikh Hasina's presence in India is creating problems in (India-Bangladesh) relations...' In response, Dr. Yunus said, (Sheikh Hasina) is at least staying in India at this time, it is not a problem. Her talking about Bangladesh is a problem. She is talking to the people of Bangladesh, and they are about politics. She is continuing her political activities, that are the problem.
Regarding the newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, he said, I do not think that everything will change in the United States because of a new president. He said, foreign policy and country-to-country relations do not usually change due to a change in the presidency. Apart from that, even if there are changes in Trump's second term, we have to remember that this is also Bangladesh 2, which we call the new Bangladesh. So we will wait and see if the US representatives come and see and if our economy continues to do well, they will be very interested. They are the biggest government buyer in Bangladesh, from our side too. In the interview, Dr. Yunus highlighted the initiatives taken by the government to restore discipline in the financial sector, which is plagued by various problems including non-performing loans, and their success.