Visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Friday met Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia, media reported.The 40-minute meeting started around 10:25 a.m. Friday at Dhaka's Hotel Sonargaon, bdnews24 reported.During the meeting, Zia reportedly "complained" about the state of democracy in Bangladesh.Swaraj told Khaleda that the new Indian government wanted to emphasise on a relationship without favouring any particular political party or a government in Bangladesh.BNP's standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan and vice chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury termed the meeting "successful"."The issue of lack of democracy in the country came up in the meeting. This so-called Parliament does not reflect the people’s will,” Moyeen Khan said.
The BNP and its allies boycotted the recent national polls, demanding parliamentary elections be held under a non-party government’s supervision. The boycott ensured a predictable landslide for the ruling Awami League-led alliance. Since then, the BNP has termed the incumbent government as “unelected and undemocratic”.According to officials, Khaleda Zia congratulated India's new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BNP hoped that India-Bangladesh bilateral ties would be strengthened and issues between the two neighbouring countries would be solved through discussions.Khaleda had met Swaraj once in 2012 during her visit to Delhi.