Hasina Destroyed Bangabandhu’s Legacy: Prof Yunus

Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as prime minister of Bangladesh amidst massive civil unrest, has destroyed the legacy of her father, Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus told The Print.

Speaking minutes after Hasina left Bangladesh, Yunus, who has been charged by Hasina's government in over 190 cases, said, "Bangladesh is liberated… We are a free country now."

"We were an occupied country as long as she (Hasina) was there. She was behaving like an occupation force, a dictator, a general, controlling everything. Today all the people of Bangladesh feel liberated."

Yunus was convicted by the Hasina-led government in January for violating the country's labor laws and is currently out on bail.

The Nobel Laureate described this as a second liberation for the people of Bangladesh, with celebrations occurring across the country. "They are feeling the sense of liberation and joy that we can start all over again… We wanted to do it in the first round when we became independent in 1971. And we missed it because of all the problems we have right now. We now want to make a fresh start and create a beautiful country for ourselves. That's the commitment we make, and students and young people will be leading our future," he said.

When asked about vandalism by protesters who attempted to damage a statue of Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka and storm the parliament building, Yunus said it was an expression of the "damage she (Hasina) has done."

"It says what they feel about Hasina, what she did to herself and her father… it's not the fault of the young people who are doing this," he said.

Yunus, the founder of the pioneering microfinance system that lifted millions of poor out of poverty in Bangladesh, ruled out any role in active politics. "I'm not the kind of person who would like to be in politics. Politics is not my cup of tea," he maintained.

Currently in Paris, Yunus said he would soon return to Bangladesh and continue to work for the people as he did before.

"I will continue with my work in a more free environment that I didn't have during the regime of Sheikh Hasina because she was always attacking me. I will continue, devote myself to the things I could not do before," he said.