Syed Ashraf slates celebration of Khaleda’s birthday
Ruling Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday dismissed any possibility of compromising or sitting in a dialogue with the main opposition BNP to resolve ongoing political crisis.
“It is not possible for us to compromise with those [BNP] who celebrate fake birthday on the death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” he said.
“Their aim is to kill [Prime Minister] Sheikh Hasina. They want to destroy Bangladesh Awami League and the spirit of the Liberation War forever,” alleged Ashraf.
Ashraf, also LGRD and cooperatives minister, was speaking at an AL discussion marking the National Mourning Day (August 15) in the capital’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
On August 15, 1975, a disgruntled group of army officers killed Bangabandhu and most of his family members.
Like the previous years, BNP and its different front organisations celebrated 68th birthday of the party’s Chairperson Khaleda Zia on August 15.
Ashraf said Khaleda Zia herself “does not know” her real date of birth and had deliberately picked August 15 only for amusement.
“People of Bangladesh will not forgive them [BNP] and we condemn them,” said Ashraf, also son of Syed Nazrul Islam, of one of the four national leaders killed in jail on November 3, 1975.
He also came down heavily on foreign diplomats for taking stance in favour of arrested secretary of Odhikar Adilur Rahman Khan.
However, addressing the discussion, AL senior leader Suranjit Sengupta said the door for dialogue was still open but it had to be done in accordance with the constitution.
-With The Daily Star input
