Dhaka: The harsh treatment meted out to Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus by government here has barred the outside world from recognising his country`s achievements, a Bangladeshi minster has quoted Amartya Sen as saying, prompting the India-born Nobel laureate to deny this.
According to Bangladesh Finance Minister A M A Muhith, Sen told him that "so many good things are happening in this country but they are not projected anywhere in the world only because of Prof Yunus," The Daily Star newspaper reported.
In a written reply to a query from the daily, Amartya said: "I am particularly surprised -- indeed astonished -- to see him (Muhith) attributing my view that is not mine."
"Indeed, the alleged utterance is not close to anything I told Muhith when we met briefly at the VIP lounge in the Bangkok Airport last month," Sen said.
He said he was not at all accusing fellow Nobel laureate Yunus of preventing the recognition and praise that Bangladesh deserves.
Sen also hoped Muhith would withdraw his wrong attribution to him about Yunus.
Muhith also retracted his statement, saying he had not quoted Sen.
"Amartya Sen did not make any such comment about Prof Yunus. It was my comment," he told reporters here.
PTI
