'Those who celebrated my departure, what did you get?': Sheikh Hasina cites Bangladesh's economic slide after ouster

Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has questioned whether people are better off after the 2024 political upheaval.

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday defended her government's economic record and sought to know what Bangladesh gained since her ouster nearly two years ago.

Bangladesh's ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said those who had celebrated her departure should assess whether Bangladesh had become more democratic, secure or prosperous. (AFP)

Speaking at a virtual press conference in Delhi, Hasina said Bangladesh had moved from "prosperity, dignity and confidence" to "fear, revenge, hardship and uncertainty" since her government fell in August 2024.

"So today I ask those who celebrated my departure: what did you actually get?" she said, before asking whether the country had gained democracy, security, freedom of expression or economic relief.

She also questioned whether prices had fallen, whether families could afford essential goods, and whether people had access to uninterrupted fuel and electricity. Hasina asked if women, children, minorities, journalists, teachers and intellectuals felt safer today than they did before her ouster.

Economy weakened since 2024, says Hasina

Hasina claimed Bangladesh's economic performance deteriorated significantly since her government was forced out in August 2024. She claimed GDP growth had dropped to 2.22%, compared with 6.8% during the Awami League's tenure, while industrial production had declined sharply.

"For the first time in 54 years, the industrial sector has faced negative growth," she said.

The former prime minister also alleged that defaulted bank loans had risen from 13% to 47%, poverty had increased from 18.6% to 46.8%, investment had turned negative and job creation had collapsed.

She claimed that since her ouster, more than two crore people had become unemployed, over 500 factories had shut down, and many business owners were either imprisoned or in hiding.

"The progress we built is being destroyed, and ordinary people are paying the price," Hasina said.

She also alleged that the government was borrowing 700-900 crore taka every day from banks while project costs had risen by 50 to 250%.

Concerns over law and order

Besides speaking on the economy, Hasina claimed Bangladesh witnessed a rise in militancy and violent crime since the change in government.

She alleged that women and children were facing increasing violence and said extortion, murder and kidnapping had become commonplace. She said the statistics represented real families, workers, farmers, small business owners and young people who had lost hope.

"These are not just numbers or isolated incidents," she said.

Hasina defends Awami League's record

Hasina also defended the development agenda pursued during her years in office and said her government's policies always centred around improving people's lives.

"The welfare of the people has always been the purpose of my politics," she said, adding that the ideals of Bangladesh's founding leader, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had guided her government.

She claimed that the Awami League's infrastructure projects were designed to strengthen national capacity, while its social welfare programmes were investments in human dignity rather than charity.

"We made Bangladesh stand tall. We made it known as the rising tiger of Asia," she said.

Plans to return from India

The remarks came as Hasina announced plans to return to Bangladesh in December, nearly two years after fleeing the country following the student-led uprising that forced her resignation in August 2024.

Hasina has been staying in India since then. During the same address, she also claimed that the 2024 movement was "not a peaceful student movement" but one aimed at regime change. She also said she was prepared to face imprisonment or even death upon her return.

The economic figures and other claims cited by Hasina during her address could not be independently verified by HT.