Awami League leaders on Tuesday reacted angrily to opposition leader Khaleda Zia’s threat of a “tough movement by the people” against the Sheikh Hasina government. On Monday, Khaleda had reiterated the BNP’s demand for a caretaker government to supervise the next general election.Claiming that 90 per cent of Bangladeshis wanted such a system, she had warned the Prime Minister: “You would not be able to control the situation when people would wage a tougher movement. Your existence will be in jeopardy.”
State minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs Quamrul Islam said that Khaleda’s remarks were “against political norm”. He also said that the opposition leader’s claim of enjoying mass support was wrong and BNP would be handed a crushing defeat in the next election. “The country’s people don’t want to see BNP in power as its leaders are engaged in corruption,” he added, expressing optimism that AL would return to power.
The AL leader claimed that the opposition’s threat of a harsh anti-government threat was hollow. “Seeing BNP’s programme schedule, we understand that the opposition party will not go for any harsh programme against the government because it has become weak. It is now preparing to participate in the next polls,” he said, at an AL meeting in the party’s central office at Bangabandhu Avenue here.
The state minister reiterated his party’s stance to hold the next election in line with the country’s constitutional provisions.
State minister for LGRD and cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak echoed Quamrul’s criticism against the opposition leader. “The way Khaleda Zia talked about the Prime Minister’s speech was against political etiquette. In fact, Khaleda has gone crazy to get to power,” he said.
“The PM said she won’t budge an inch from the Constitution. Hearing it, the opposition leader is frightened. Her husband, Ziaur Rahman, distorted the Constitution. She, like her husband, does not want to comply with the country’s charter,” Nanak added.
-With The Independent input
