Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy was the brain behind many of her government's digital initiatives but a decision on joining politics is best left to him and the people of the country, report agencies.
In an interview with South Asia's leading multimedia news agency ANI, she opened up on what she thought about her son Joy joining active politics.
A 37-second teaser of the interview was put on ANI's Twitter account on Saturday.
"Look... he's now a grown-up man. So it's up to him but he's working for the country. Like the Digital Bangladesh we set up, all these satellite or submarine cable or computer training, everything these digital system, it is his idea and he is you know... assisting me and he is doing it but he never thought about taking any position either in party or ministry. No, he didn't," she said.
Sheikh Hasina recalled that at one of the events of her party, there was a tremendous demand from workers that Joy should take up a role.
"Even in our party conference there was a tremendous demand for him. Then I asked him, you go to the microphone and tell what you want to do. And he did it. He said no, I don't want any position in the party at this moment. Rather those who are working here they should get this post. Why I should occupy one post? I am with my mother, I am working for the country and I am assisting her, so I'll do it. So that way he thinks. So it is not that I have to make him or I have to do it, no," she said.
Asked if she felt it was for her son to take a call, Sheikh Hasina replied, "It depends on the people you see".
Joy is the elder of Sheikh Hasina's two children. She also has a younger daughter Saima Wazed Putul.
Responding to a question, Sheikh Hasina said that dynasty politics was not an issue in Bangladesh. Teesta mainly depends on India: PM Hasina tells ANI
Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina has said resolving the Teesta water sharing issue mainly depends on India.
"It's (Teesta) a long-standing problem. So, it should be solved. But it depends mainly on India," she told ANI.
Recalling earlier discussions, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in March last year reiterated Bangladesh's long-pending request for concluding the interim agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Teesta river.
She underscored that to alleviate the sufferings and save the livelihoods of millions of people dependent on the Teesta river basin, it is necessary that Bangladesh receives its fair share of the Teesta waters, the draft agreement of which has already been agreed upon by both Governments in January 2011, according to the 2021 joint statement.
Responding to a question on Hindu temples' vandalism, the Prime Minister told ANI that some incidents sometimes take place. "But immediately we take action."
Seeking to assure the predominantly Hindu community in Bangladesh and the global community at large, Hasina said her government strongly supports secularism and any attempts to disturb communal harmony are immediately dealt with.
Dismissing concerns that Bangladesh could go the Sri Lanka way, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that despite the Covid-19 onslaught and the conflict in Ukraine, her country's economy continued to be in robust shape and that her regime exercised a high level of diligence when taking any loans.
She said currently the world as a whole was facing challenges which were
not restricted only to Bangladesh.
"Our economy, still it is very strong. Though, we faced this Covid-19 pandemic, now the Ukraine-Russia war. That has its effect here. But in debt rate, Bangladesh always pays timely all the debts. So our debt rate is very low. In context of Sri Lanka, our economy trajectory and the development, it is (planned) very, very calculative," she said.
The premier said one of the reasons for the rising extremism was social media, which had become "very very bad nowadays".
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