I have no problem with NRC, talked with PM Modi in US: B'desh PM

Visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Thursday said she was satisfied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that Bangladesh should not be worried over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) being implemented in Assam.

Whether she was satisfied with Modi’s assurance in New York, she said, “Oboshoyi (Of course).” Responding to questions on the NRC at a reception hosted by Bangladesh envoy Syed Muazzem Ali, Hasina said: “I don’t see any problem. I had a talk with Prime Minister Modi. Everything is OK.”

Hasina is in Delhi to attend the India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum and is scheduled to meet Modi on Saturday for a bilateral meeting.

At the reception, Hasina met Delhi-based ambassadors from 78 countries who are also accredited to Bangladesh, along with former diplomats and experts from think tanks. The Bangladesh High Commissioner described the event as a gathering of “friends of Bangladesh”.

In New York last week, Hasina told Modi that the NRC has become a matter of “great concern” for Bangladesh. Modi is learnt to have replied that there is “nothing to be worried” about since India and Bangladesh have good relations.

However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated in Kolkata Tuesday that the government would “identify each and every infiltrator and drive them out”.

While the NRC could figure during discussions between the two Prime Ministers, sources said Modi has already assured Hasina on this matter. “It will depend on the Bangladesh PM. The Indian position will remain the same as articulated by the PM during their meeting in New York,” sources said.

Meanwhile, addressing the WEF’s summit, Hasina said that Bangladesh “can serve as the economic hub for the sub-region”. “Beyond our own 162 million people, Bangladesh can be the connecting landmass to a combined market of nearly 3 billion people,” she said.

Hasina also pointed to estimates that Bangladesh would be the 26th largest economy in the world by 2030. “Two things are key: one is our open society, religious harmony, liberal values, secular culture. Other is that two-third of our homogenous population is young — mostly under 25,” she said.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister is scheduled to meet CEOs of top Indian companies on October 4.