‘Burn Indian saris first’: Sheikh Hasina attacks ‘Boycott India’ activists

Bangladeshi opposition leaders are trying to fan anti-India sentiments. Their attempts became more intense as Sheikh Hasina, who has close ties to India, won the election for a fourth consecutive term. After months of silence, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched an all-out attack on the opposition’s “Boycott India” movement. Hasina loves sari and uses it against her rivals.

Opponents of Hasina and her Awami League party have tried to label her “pro-India” and claimed that India helped her win the January election. They launched a campaign calling on the people of Bangladesh to boycott Indian products.

Hasina lashed out at leaders of Bangladesh’s main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and flipped the script on the Boycott India Movement after the issue had been brewing for months.

Hasina takes power in January election with landslide victoryThe BNP boycotted the event and used the “shabby saree” to educate BNP leaders who have been supporting the “Boycott Indian Products” campaign on social media.

Sheikh Hasina has He has praised India as a “great friend” on various occasions.

“How many Indian saris do their (BNP leaders’) wives have?” Hasina asked last week.

“The BNP leaders are saying #BoycottIndianProducts. Why don’t they take away their wives?” Hasina asked next, drawing some laughter at the Awami League office in Dhaka.

Hasina asks BNP Paribas for SARI test

Hasina herself is known for her love of sari and gifting it to Indian leaders, and later presenting the sari test to opposition leaders.

“Their true commitment to boycotting Indian products will be proven when they burn their wives’ Indian saris in front of the party office,” she said while launching the sari attack.

Not just the saree test, the Bangladesh Prime Minister also claimed that the BNP leader and his wife used to buy saris from India and sell them in Bangladesh.

“When the BNP was in power, I saw wives of their leaders flying to India in droves to buy Indian saris. They would sell the saris in Bangladesh,” Hasina said.

Not just Indian sarees, but Indian spices

Sheikh Hasina is not just referring to Indian sarees. She also sprinkled a handful of “Indian spices” into the pot.

“I have one more question. We are importing ‘garam masala’, onions, garlic, ginger and many other items from India. Why are they (BNP leaders) not using Indian spices for cooking? They must cook and eat without these spices Food spices,” Skeikh Hasinsa said on March 27.

“They have to answer the question if they can eat food without spices,” she added.

bangladesh boycott movement against india

The agitation over the “Boycott India” movement has intensified online, similar to the “India out” trend in the Maldives. Following Hasina’s victory, there were reports in February of a degree of boycott of Indian goods and commodities.

Dhaka markets, usually packed with Indian products, refused to accept fresh goods. Sales of Indian products such as edible oils, processed foods, toiletries, cosmetics and clothing fell.

There has been a surge in toxic anti-India posts online. #BoycottIndianProducts, #IndiaOut and #BoycottIndia are starting to gain traction on social media in Bangladesh.

The online movement, led primarily by Bangladeshi expatriates and exiles in Europe and the Americas, has reportedly led to boycotts of Indian products.

Pinaki Bhattacharya, who lives in Paris, is said to be one of the prime movers of the “Boycott India” movement.

Well, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is not among those calling for a boycott. Later, the BNP started to be associated with the anti-India movement because of the support of some leaders.

Hasina, Awami League’s biggest Indian product: BNP

The BNP has been critical of Sheikh Hasina and her party, the Awami League, for their close ties with India. It also objected to what it called India’s involvement in Bangladesh’s internal affairs and its elections, saying the January polls were not free and fair.

The ‘Boycott India’ movement has emerged mainly in the virtual world and recently took hold when BNP joint secretary-general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi threw away his Kashmiri shawl as a symbol of defiance.

The BNP had previously clarified that it had nothing to do with the Boycott India movement, but now appears to be faltering.

On March 20, Rizvi of the BNP said while throwing away his Kashmiri shawl, “As a party representing the people, the BNP and 63 democratic parties and patriotic citizens express solidarity with the boycott of Indian products.”

The Awami League agreed with the BNP’s shaky stance on the “Boycott India” issue and said the party had “lost its way”.

“One leader of the BNP wants India to help save democracy, while another leader calls for a boycott of Indian products. As a party, the BNP has lost its way,” Hasina Cabinet Minister Obaidul Quader (Obaidul Quader) told Dhaka Tribune.

It was at this point that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped in and used the “sari analogy” to counter the “Boycott India” movement, which now has some support from the BNP.

Following the remarks, BNP leader Guyeshwar Chandra Roy called Sheikh Hasina and the ruling Awami League India’s biggest product and urged people to boycott the party and leaders.

“Only by boycotting Indian products can the people of the country gain freedom. There is no need to boycott all Indian products,” Roy said on Friday.

Despite attempts on social media to promote “boycott India” sentiments, Modi govt allows export of 50,000 tonnes of onionsIt is served to Bangladesh as a major staple food before Ramzan and Eid.