Is Sheikh Hasina's son all set to join Bangladesh politics?

Ousted Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who had earlier said he had no intention to join politics, has now revealed that he is ready to enter politics after protests across the country over job quota flared up.

Joy claimed that over the past few days, there has been a “leadership vacuum” in Bangladesh and he had to get active for the “sake of the party”.

‘I am at forefront now’

“I will do whatever it takes to save the party and its workers. If there is a need for me to join politics, I will not refrain from that," a report by Times of India quoted Joy as saying from Washington DC.  

“My mother would have retired from politics after the current term. I never had any political ambition and was settled in the US. But the developments in Bangladesh in the past few days show that there is a leadership vacuum. I had to get active for the sake of the party and I am at the forefront now,” he further said.

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The statements by Joy were made on the day an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh, days after Sheik Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister and fled to India on August 5.

Hasina will be in Bangladesh moment polls are announced

The interim government is expected to soon announce the date of polling in Bangladesh following which a new government will come to power in the country.

Hasina’s son said that Awami League will contest the election and claimed that the party has the largest supporter base in Bangladesh.

“I am sure the Awami League will take part in the election and we might even win. We have the largest supporter base in Bangladesh,” he said.  

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Joy further claimed that Hasina has no plan of seeking asylum in any country. “For the time being, she is in India. She will go back to Bangladesh the moment the interim government decides to hold an election. I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saving my mother’s life at such short notice.”  

Time for introspection

Joy further stressed that there was a need for “introspection and Awami League was ready for it.  

“There definitely were mistakes. When you run a country, a lot of decisions are made every day. Awami League believes in introspection and we were ready for that. But we did not get a chance to do that this time,” he said.  

“We never realised the situation would escalate so fast even after accepting their (protesting students) demands,” he said.

Borders with India will not be secure if…

Joy further said that an alliance of BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) and Jammat will not be able to save the minorities.  

“If the Awami League is not in power, the eastern border of India will not be secure. If there is an alliance of BNP and Jamaat, that may not be good for India as Jamaat will not refrain from militancy,” Joy said.  

He also requested India to mount pressure on Bangladesh to hold elections at the earliest.

BNP leader and former PM of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia was released from house arrest earlier this week. Her son Tarique Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s acting chairman, is also returning to Dhaka soon.