The first public meeting of BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman in the last four and a half years was foiled as altercation and fracas among rival groups of the party at the meeting compelled the hotel management to call police to bring the situation under control. The skirmish started soon after Tarique started delivering his speech at the meeting held at the Crown Plaza hotel at Dockland in the East London. At one stage, the Hotel management asked the organizers to leave the place and later the BNP leaders
went to nearby Palm Tree Restaurant and Tarique delivered his speech there, reports some Bengali news agencies based in London.
However, Tarique who has been residing in London after his departure from the country in 2008, told the party workers that he had no plan to return home immediately as he was ‘still not fully recovered from his illness’.
“I cannot stand for a long time. I feel breathing problems,” he explained.
But he said that he may attend party meetings in different parts of UK.
Among others, former BNP international affairs secretary Mohidur Rahman, MA Malek, Barrister MA Salam, Enamul Haque, Mollik Hossain Ahmed Hasnu and Nasim Chowdhury, spoke on the occasion.
Tarique Rahman urged the party leaders to work unitedly, forgetting personal differences and interests at the critical juncture of the country and the nation.
In his speech Tarique Rahman alleged that the government would have to take the responsibility for killing people at the rally of the Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh (HIB) at Shapla Chattar on May 5 at the dead of night by switching off electricity.
“The country is passing through a critical juncture. The people are passing their days in insecurity. Human rights are being violated every moment. The mass media is being forced to shut down in the BKSAL style to quell freedom of speech,” he observed.
He also alleged the journalist couple Sagor-Runi had been killed as they were going to disclose a big corruption of the government.
“Now various dramas are being staged under the patronization of the government to hide the murder of Sagor-Runi,” he alleged.
About the caretaker government (CG) system, he said, “the government has snatched away the franchise by cancelling the CG system. A survey report of a daily proves that 90 per cent people of country want the CG system. But the government is walking unilaterally on the side for election ignoring the opinions of the people.”
-With The Independent input
