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News India Live, Digital Desk: If we look closely at the politics of Bangladesh, there has been a bitter rivalry between two powerful women for the last several decades: one is the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the other is the former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Their long and bitter enmity, which is also known as the ‘Battle of the Two Begums’, is not just a game of power and power, but is also linked to painful incidents in their personal lives. This enmity not only deeply hurt both the families, but it also had a negative impact on the political stability of Bangladesh.
Where it began: the deep roots of the tragedy
This political war begins with the gruesome murders that took place in the families of both the leaders.
- Sheikh Hasina’s pain: The life of Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, known as the founding father of Bangladesh, was ruined in 1975 when her father, mother and her three brothers were brutally murdered during a military coup. This bloody incident left Hasina with deep pain for the rest of her life.
- Khaleda Zia’s pain: Similarly, Ziaur Rahman, the then military ruler and husband of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, was assassinated during a coup attempt in 1981.
These two tragedies left indelible wounds in the hearts of both the women and from this their political and personal enmity was born.
A series of accusations and counterattacks
Sheikh Hasina heads the Bangladesh Awami League, while Khaleda Zia leads the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The series of allegations and counter-allegations between these two leaders has been going on for decades:
- Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly alleged in public forums that Ziaur Rehman had a role in her father’s murder or at least he benefited from it.
- At the same time, Khaleda Zia retorts and says that Hasina capitalizes on her father’s murder for political gains.
This personal enmity has become so dominant politically that when one leader becomes the Prime Minister, the other party uses all its strength to topple the government and agitate on the streets. The people of Bangladesh have had to pay a heavy price for this hostility, as political instability, demonstrations and sometimes violence have hampered the country’s development.
In short, the ‘battle of the two Begums’ between Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia in Bangladesh is not just a clash of political ideologies, but the product of personal wounds and tragedies of two powerful families, which has influenced the political landscape of Bangladesh for decades.