The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday alleged that the government has decided to turn the Grameen Bank Ordinance into law to destroy the Bank. The party’s assistant secretary general, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, made the allegation at a press conference at the BNP headquarters at Naya Paltan. “Grameen Bank and its founder Nobel laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus became victims of vengeance soon after the AL-led government assumed power. We think that the initiative to turn the Grameen Bank Ordinance into law has been taken as part of the conspiracy to destroy the internationally recognised financial institution,” said the BNP leader.
The cabinet approved the draft of the Grameen Bank Law-2013 on Thursday, making mandatory the Bank’s accountability to the Bangladesh Bank. Rizvi condemned the government’s move and urged the government not to take any such step. He also warned that the Opposition would not accept any interim government, headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to supervise the next general election.
Reacting to the statement of Awami League (AL) leader Mohammad Nasim on formation of an interim cabinet, the BNP leader said such initiatives would be resisted and the proposed cabinet would be dumped into the municipality’s rubbish van. He said such statements would only deepen the prevailing political crisis.
“People will not accept any illogical and whimsical move. They will not accept a poll-time government under the management of a political party,” he added.
Earlier, AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim said that a 16-member interim cabinet, headed by Prime Minster
Sheikh Hasina, would be formed to conduct the election-time government.
The BNP leader made it clear that the Opposition would not take part in any election unless the CG system is restored. He said the government’s continuation of repression
against Opposition members would eventually lead to the politics of turmoil.
Rizvi criticised the Prime Minister’s statement that the Opposition chief did not go to the court for fear of being sentenced to a prison term, saying that the Premier has no right to make such comments.
-With The Independent input
