Awami League Presidium Member Abdur Rahman, MP, today said that the ruling party will not take responsibility for the statement of Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen citing that "the minister is not a member of the political party".

"Since Dr AK Abdul Momen is not a member of Awami League, the party will not take any responsibility for his remark," he said while responding to questions from reporters after attending a discussion program on 15 August at Dhanmondi 32.

He noted that the recent statement of the foreign minister that "he requested the Indian government to do whatever is necessary to ensure the continuation of Sheikh Hasina's government" is not a statement supported by the Awami League.

"Awami League's coming to power does not depend on the support of any country," he asserted.

Foreign Minister Momen, while addressing a Janmashtami programme in JM Sen Hall in Chattogram on Thursday evening (18 August), said he had requested the Indian government to do whatever was necessary to help Bangladesh maintain stability and harmony.

"When I went to New Delhi, I told the Indian government that Sheikh Hasina must be sustained. Bangladesh will continue to march towards development and will truly become a country free of communalism under her leadership," Momen said.

His statement created a stir in the political arena, drawing flak from the BNP which said the government has resorted to foreign countries to survive.

The foreign minister, however, claimed that his statement came out wrongly in the media. He has also alleged that the speech has been spread on purpose.

He comes under fire days after being lambasted over his comment that people in Bangladesh are in heaven compared to those in other countries amid the global recession.

Momen was also criticised earlier for making gratuitous and objectionable statements.