PM Sheikh Hasina attacks opposition leaders accused of promoting anti-Indian sentiments in Bangladesh

Opposition leaders in Bangladesh have been trying to spread anti-Indian sentiments. 

As Sheikh Hasina, who has strong relations to India, won the election for a fourth consecutive term, their attempt intensified.

Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, has been silent for months and has criticised the opposition's 'Boycott India' campaign. Loved the sari, Hasina utilised it to confront her opponents.

Awami League opponents of Hasina have attempted to characterise her as "pro-India" and assert that India was a factor in her victory in the January elections. They launched an initiative encouraging Bangladeshis to shun Indian goods. 

Hasina attacked leaders of Bangladesh's biggest opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and changed the course of the "Boycott India campaign" after sitting silent for months while the issue festered. 

Hasina, who came to power after a landslide victory in the January elections, which the BNP boycotted, used the 'humble sari' to school the BNP leaders who had been backing a "boycott Indian products" campaign on social media.

Sheikh Hasina has hailed India as a "great friend" in various instances.

"How many Indian saris do their (BNP leader's) wives have?" Hasina asked last week.

"BNP leaders are saying #BoycottIndian products. Why are they not taking away their wives?," Hasina asked next, attracting a few chuckles at the Awami League office in Dhaka.