JU brings Hasina, Khaleda together

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia are arch-political rivals and have rarely seen each other eye to eye, let alone sit down for talks. But that may just change. The two leading ladies of Bangladesh politics will at least stay close together at Jahangirnagar University. The country’s only residential university has got a new dormitory for female students named after Sheikh Hasina. It is just beside another one bearing the name of former prime minister Khaleda Zia. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid unveiled the plaque of the newly-constructed Sheikh Hasina hall on Thursday. He said 2.6 million students study at 34 universities and added six more public universities are on the cards. ‘Begum Khaleda Zia Hall’ was established during the 2001-2006 BNP government but it opened during the 2007-2008 caretaker government. The hall named after Hasina has opened while she is in office. Professor Farid Ahmed has been made provost of the 648-capacity hall. Hasina and Khaleda have alternated as prime minister since the early 1990s. The last time they spoke was on the phone last year before the January 5 parliamentary elections. But they ended up blaming each other for a political impasse. The ‘Battling Begums’ -- as they are often referred to by foreign journalists -- have not met or spoken since then, according to bdnews24.com.