Bangladesh has put the onus of investigation on New Delhi into reports that Saradha Group’s money was used to destabilise the Sheikh Hasina government.
“This (Saradha scam) is India’s internal matter,” said Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in New Delhi on Friday.
The Bangladesh minister is now visiting New Delhi with a 30-strong delegation for the third round of foreign minister-level talks.
On Saturday, he would sit for discussion with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj before the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting.
Mahmood Ali was commenting on media reports that Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Hasan Ahamed Imran used Saradha money to fund Jamat-e-Islami to topple Hasina government.
The foreign minister on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister Aurn Jaitely and Water Resource Minister Uma Bharati.
“Meetings with all the leaders took place in a cordial atmosphere,” said Mahmood Ali. “We want to take forward our relations with India,”
During the meeting with Prime Minister Modi, he recalled the historical, cultural and economic links between India and Bangladesh.
Ali appreciated the special emphasis given by the Modi government to strengthen the relations with the SAARC members.
The minister conveyed the strong desire of the people and government of Bangladesh to further strengthen and deepen relations with India.
Prime Minister Modi called for greater cooperation between India and Bangladesh in the areas of energy, power, infrastructure development and tourism. He also underscored the need to take concrete steps to promote bilateral trade and investment.
Noting the geographical locations of India and Bangladesh, it was agreed that improved connectivity through development of road, rail, inland waterways, shipping and air links would facilitate economic cooperation and strengthen people-to-people ties.
The visiting minister also extended an invitation on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Modi to visit Bangladesh.
Modi has told the Bangladesh Minister that he looked forward to visiting Bangladesh at the earliest convenience.
Source: Bd news24
