Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus would never do anything against the interests of Bangladesh, the Yunus Centre said.
In a rejoinder to the prime minister’s alleged remarks about the mirco-financier’s role in cancelling World Bank funding for the Padma Bridge project, the Yunus Centre said: “He has always promoted Bangladesh and its successes, and has helped to put Bangladesh on the map as a model for development and poverty reduction.
“To state that he is harmful to the nation is very unfortunate.”
The prime minster reportedly criticised Yunus for allegedly influencing Hillary Clinton and getting World Bank funding for the Padma Bridge project cancelled.
The comments were reported to have been made at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on May 5.
“The allegations were made Professor Yunus without presenting any proof of the truth of such statements,” the Yunus Centre’s rejoinder on Thursday said.
The prime minister allegedly said the poor were getting stuck in a microcredit trap.
She is reported to have said the bank charges high interest rates and that its outlook is chiefly commercial.
Yunus is widely known for developing a model for poverty reduction in Bangladesh and beyond.
His work on microcredit for rural development has been recognised throughout the world through the award of the Nobel Peace Prize and many other prizes, the Yunus Centre said.
Several daily newspapers reported on the prime minister’s alleged remarks about Yunus at a meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council on May 5.
“We hope the honourable prime minister did not actually make these comments, but we are responding to each of the quotes attributed to her, since they have been published widely,” the centre said.
News reports quoted the prime minister as saying Yunus influenced Hillary Clinton to cancel World Bank funding for the Padma Bridge over a conflict between Yunus and the government over the directorship of Grameen Bank.
“He is harmful to the nation,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also quoted as saying.