PM flays Muhith for praising Yunus

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday censured finance minister AMA Muhith presumably for praising the contribution of Nobel laureate and former Grameen Bank managing director Muhammad Yunus to the country’s poverty reduction through micro-credit. 
She asked Muhith to find during whose tenure the poverty level came down to 22 per cent from 60 per cent and how it happened. 
‘I feel sad that the other day the finance minister extolled such a person who was behind the cancellation of the World Bank funding for my Padma Bridge project. After that, I received threats from America several times,’ said the PM.
Even then he (Muhith) was praising him (Yunus) profusely, she rued. 
Sheikh Hasina, also president of the ruling Awami League, was addressing the national convention of Bangladesh Mahila Awami League, women front of the ruling party, in the capital. 
The PM also rebuffed the microcredit programmes, saying those doing business of microcredit were rather becoming wealthier.
She said that the poverty level came down significantly because of her government’s initiatives. 
Addressing a discussion on loan management system of Social Development Foundation in the capital, Muhith on Thursday lauded Professor Yunus for his contribution to the reduction of poverty in the country by providing microcredit to the poor. 
He also credited BRAC founder Fazle Hasan Abed with helping poverty alleviation. ‘They are honoured persons… we should honour them,’ Muhith said.
The finance minister made the statement more than a month after the prime minister alleged that Yunus used his connections with former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton to block World Bank funding for Padma Bridge.
She also called Yunus a ‘cheat’ in parliament during question-answer session on January 25.
Leaders of the ruling Awami League have been vocal against Yunus, accusing him of conspiring against the government. 
Yunus Centre later condemned the ‘false and baseless accusation’ against Yunus. 
On February 16, Yunus Centre in a statement said he never stood in the way of the construction of Padma Bridge.

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