Staff Reporter :
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has accused former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of engaging in political activities from neighbouring India, following media reports that the Awami League has opened an office in Kolkata despite being banned from political operations in Bangladesh.
Speaking at an event at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Friday, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi cited reports by BBC Bangla and other outlets, claiming they showed that Hasina’s political activities had continued after her departure from power.
“Sheikh Hasina cannot stay away from politics. According to the BBC, she has set up an office in Kolkata to pursue activities against Bangladesh,” Rizvi said. “From across the border, she continues to make statements and interfere in the country’s affairs.”
He alleged that India had given Hasina shelter while simultaneously pushing Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh. “If they can send them in, why not send her back?” he remarked.
Rizvi said Hasina had left Bangladesh “on the crest of the people’s wave” during last year’s student-led uprising, which saw mass protests and unrest leading to the fall of her government. He claimed the BNP had faced and overcome alleged Awami League “plots” during last year’s Durga Puja.
Contrasting Hasina’s departure with the BNP’s stance, Rizvi said: “Despite years of repression, false cases and attacks, not a single BNP leader fled the country – but Sheikh Hasina did.”
BBC Bangla reported that the alleged Awami League office is located in a busy commercial district on the outskirts of Kolkata, home to hundreds of business complexes. In recent months, new faces – identified as senior and mid-level leaders of the Awami League and affiliated organisations – have been observed entering the premises.
Locals working nearby told the BBC they were largely unaware of the visitors’ political affiliations.
Neither Sheikh Hasina nor the Awami League has publicly commented on the allegations or the media reports concerning the Kolkata office.
