Sheikh Hasina blames US for ouster as PM, cites her refusal to surrender St. Martin Island as cause

FormerBangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has alleged that the United States engineered her ouster from power and the country after she refused to cede sovereignty of St. MartinIsland, which would have given Washington control over the Bay of Bengal.

Locatedin the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, St. Martin Island is just three square kilometres in area, but its geopolitical significance is immense.

"I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it. I resigned from premiership,"Hasina was quoted as saying by anEconomic Times report.

"I could have remained in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal. I beseech to the people of my land, please do not be manipulated by radicals," she added.

"Maybe, if I had stayed in the country, more lives would have been lost. I have removed myself. You were my strength, you did not want me, so I have left."

As for the studentanti-quota protests, Hasina clarified her 'Razakar' remarks. The term is used to refer to a paramilitary force recruited by the Pakistani army during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

“I have never called you as Razakars. My words were twisted to incite unrest. I urge you to watch the full video of that day. Conspirators exploited your innocence to destabilise our nation.”

Hasina-US relations

This is the first time since Hasina fled to New Delhi after resigning as the PM that she has spoken about the events that forced her to take such a drastic decision.

Washington and Dhaka had been at loggerheads for some time when Hasina was in power. The friction was evident when Hasina won a fourth straight term in January but the US State Department did not accept the results saying the polls were not free and fair.

Earlier on Sunday (Aug 11), reports emerged that several senators in the US Congress were urging the White House to impose sanctions against officials who served under Hasina over humanitarian abuse allegations.

"The Bangladeshi leaders who orchestrated this brutal crackdown must be held accountable, which is why we're calling upon the administration to sanction General Secretary Quader and Home Affairs Minister Khan, as we continue working to support a peaceful and democratic Bangladesh," saidVan Hollen, a Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Five other congressional Democrats also supported the demand and sent the letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, urging sanctions on those officials.

(With inputs from agencies)