BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, on Sunday, accused the ruling Awami League of ushering in evil forces in state power repeatedly in the past, thereby destroying the country’s democracy. “History says it is the Awami League and not the BNP that always dug canals and brought crocodiles (evil forces) and patronized them. Therefore, people don’t believe the Awami League,” Alamgir said, reacting to the remarks Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made on Saturday.
He was addressing a meet organized by the BNP workers from Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila, living in Dhaka, at the National Press Club, demanding the release of BNP joint secretary general Barkatullah Bulu.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had rejected the opposition’s demand for restoration of the caretaker government at her official residence Ganobhaban, saying, “No one will be allowed to invite crocodiles by digging canals again in Bangladesh,” in a reference to the popular Bangla idiom.
The BNP acting secretary general said it was the Awami League that demanded the introduction of a caretaker government. The AL launched a movement and called a hartal for 133 days to realize their demand for the system in 1996. “And the BNP introduced the caretaker government system by amending the Constitution,” he added.
Mentioning that Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had destroyed democracy in 1974, the BNP leader said when former president HM Ershad usurped power ousting an elected government in 1982, Sheikh Hasina had said in her reaction that she was not unhappy.
Alamgir also told that Sheikh Hasina had claimed that the Fakhruddin-Moeenuddin government was the outcome of their movement and promised to legitimize all their activities. “That is why people don’t believe the Prime Minister’s remarks that she doesn’t want to invite crocodiles by digging canals anymore in the country,” he added.
The BNP leader also slammed Hasina for taking a U-turn over holding talks. He said Hasina had recently stressed the need for a dialogue to resolve the current political impasse but now she is saying that the next general elections would not be held under a non-party government. He blamed the PM for the present chaos and uncertainty.
-With The Independent input
