Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina slams CA Yunus for destroying country's economy
Rejecting Yunus's claims that the country's economy was in shambles before he came to power in August last year, Hasina said: 'I saw his speech today. Yunus was trying to make excuses for his misdeeds.'
'His remarks do not match the reality. He claimed that the economy was shattered when he came to power. How is it possible? Rather, our economy was in the strongest position,' she added, reports Daily Republic.
Highlighting the success of her tenure, and her efforts in uplifting the country's economy, she said 'He has destroyed the economy so much that he could not surpass my last budget worth Tk7,97,000 crore (USD 7.954 billion); rather, he reduced it. The budget does not go downwards.
'When I took office in 2009, Bangladesh's budget was only Tk68,000 crore (USD 5.576 billion), and it rose to Tk7,97,000 crore. In South Asia, Bangladesh's economy became the second, ninth in Asia, and 35th in the world,' the former PM added.
She further stated that Bangladesh's GDP was growing by 8% prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite the pandemic, the global crash of stocks, and the further deterioration caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, she was able to keep the economic growth at 6.7%.
'The Awami League increased per capita income to $2,794 from $445 in 2009. In 2023, Bangladesh's GDP rose to 7.4%. Due to extensive pro-people programmes, poverty was reduced to 18% and extreme poverty to 5%.'
Recalling the UN General Assembly verdict about Bangladesh's economic status, she said that under her Awami League government, the country was finally recognised as a developing nation, and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Bashing the CA for disrupting the country's economic growth, she said 'He has destroyed the country's economy', adding that the prices of essentials goods is sky high, and unemployment rate has drastically gone up.
'During the Awami League tenure, a day labourer or rickshaw-puller could earn enough to arrange three meals for the family. Now they cannot earn money for one meal.
'We reduced the poverty rate. He has increased it.'
Calling the CA a 'very smart liar', she said that inflation in the country had drastically gone up since Yunus took office, increasing up to 14% as opposed to its earlier rate of 8-9%.
Condemning his government's use of mob violence as a tool for political gains, and calling his rule a 'mobocracy', she called him 'Mob King Yunus', rubbishing his claims that all her development projects in the country as PM were named after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman because he was her father.
Stating that it was a way of showing respect and acknowledging his contributions, Hasina said 'Yunus claims that I named everything after my relatives, parents, and siblings. It is not true. The Father of the Nation brought us independence. You cannot wipe out the name of Bangabandhu no matter how hard you try.
'History takes its own course. Today, you are trying to wipe out the memory of Bangabandhu and remove his name from everywhere. Where do you stand? The name Bangladesh was given by Bangabandhu.'
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