New Delhi: A day ahead of the Bangladesh parliamentary elections, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen exuded confidence that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would be elected for the fourth time and said the country will maintain the same policy towards its neighbour India, news agency ANI reported.
In a Zoom interview with the news agency, Momen said, "We are hopeful that our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be re-elected, form the government and maintain the same policy towards our neighbours, particularly India. We must say that the relationship between Bangladesh and India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reached a zenith and we are enjoying a golden chapter in our relationship that is likely to continue for years to come."
The minister also hailed India’s stance on the elections, which has earlier said it is a “domestic issue of Bangladesh”.
"I must thank India and I am grateful to India that it said that election is a routine matter. And Bangladesh election is a domestic issue and Bangladeshi people will decide the future. This is a great stand and I am thankful to India, that's the way it should be,” he told ANI.
The Foreign Minister also said the people are looking forward to the elections and all measures have been put in place to maintain law and order during the voting.
“The government and the Election Commission are fully ready. The government has taken all the precautions to take stringent actions against anyone who disrupts the process. There is no fear of any sort of violence. We will conduct a free, fair, transparent and non-violent election tomorrow. There are 2,000 candidates belonging to 28 political parties apart from 369 independent candidates in the fray,” he added.
Voting for the 12th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh is on January 7.